Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ

2006-05-03 Thread Kent Johnson
Mike Hansen wrote:
> -
> What are some good books on Python?
> 
> See the Python wiki http://wiki.python.org/moin/PythonBooks or search 
> comp.lang.python or the tutor archives since this is a very frequently 
> asked.
> 
> If you have no programming experience, try Alan Gauld's book
> Learn To Program http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/alan.gauld/
Python Programming for the absolute beginner 
http://premierpressbooks.com/ptr_detail.cfm?isbn=1%2D59863%2D112%2D8
Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science 
http://www.fbeedle.com/99-6.html

> 
> If you have some programming experience try
> Learning Python http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/lpython2/index.html
> Dive Into Python http://diveintopython.org/
> Beginning Python: From Novice to Professional  
> http://www.apress.com/book/bookDisplay.html?bID=10013
> Core Python Programming  http://starship.python.net/crew/wesc/cpp/
> 
> Good Python reference books are
> The Essential Python Reference 
> http://www.samspublishing.com/title/0672328623
> Python in a Nutshell http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/pythonian/index.html
> Python Cookbook http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/pythoncook2/
> 
> A note to Perl programmers who are learning Python. Don't start with 
> Programming Python. It is not the same as Programming Perl. Start with 
> Learning Python, then move on to Programming Python.
> 
> ___
> Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor
> 
> 


___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ

2006-05-03 Thread Kent Johnson
Mike Hansen wrote:
> -
> What's the difference between "import foo" and "from foo import *"?
> 
> import sys
> 
> This brings the *name* "sys" into your module.
(Technically, it binds the name "sys" to the object that is the sys module.)
> It does not give you access to any of the names inside sys itself (such 
> as

does not give you _direct_ access...
> exit for example). To access those you need to prefix them with sys, as 
> in
> 
> sys.exit()
> 
> from sys import *
> 
> This does NOT bring the name "sys" into your module, instead it brings 
> all
> of the names inside sys(like exit for example) into your module. Now 
> you can
> access those names without a prefix, like this:
> 
> exit()
> 
> So why not do that instead of
> 
> import sys?
> 
> The reason is that the second form will overwrite and names you have 
> already
> declared - like exit say.
> exit = 42
> from sys import *   # hides my exit variable.
> 
> OR more likely, the other way round
> 
> from sys import *
> exit = 42   # now hides the sys.exit function so I can't use it.
> 
> Of course some of these are obvious but there can be a lot of names in a
> module, and some modules have the same name in them, for example:
> 
> from os import *
> from urllib import *
> 
> open(foo)   # which open gets called, os.open or urllib.open?
> 
> Can you see how it gets confusing.
confusing?

Another disadvantage of "from sys import *" is that it makes it harder 
to find the definition of a name. If you see "sys.exit()" in the code, 
you know exactly where exit() is defined. If you see "exit()" in a 
module that has several "from xx import *" statements, you will have to 
search each imported module for the definition of exit().

> Bottom line is it is usually better to accept the extra typing and use
The bottom line...
> 
> import foo
> 
> or for just a few names
> 
> from foo import bar,baz
> 
> [from a post on Python Tutor by Alan Gauld]
> 
> ___
> Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor
> 
> 


___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ

2006-04-27 Thread Alan Gauld
> Py2exe makes an executable of your Python program. For Windows only.
> http://sourceforge.net/projects/py2exe/
> 

I believe Gordon McMillan's installer (now called pyInstaller) also makes 
Linux (and Irix!) executables so may be worth a link/mention here too. 

http://pyinstaller.hpcf.upr.edu/cgi-bin/trac.cgi

Although Linux users seem far less likely to want/need to create 
standalone executables.

Alan G.
___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ

2006-04-26 Thread Mike Hansen
Thanks Kent. I'll make those additions/corrections and rework the 
question about private and public attributes and methods.

Mike

On Apr 26, 2006, at 7:42 PM, Kent Johnson wrote:

> Mike Hansen wrote:
>> Here's the next batch of questions and answers for the tutor FAQ. If
>> you have any clarifications or corrections, please let me know. I'll
>> try to post this on the web site in a couple of days.
>
> Thanks Mike!
>
>> -
>> What's the best editor/IDE for Python?
>>
>> It's really a matter of preference. There are many features of an
>> editor or IDE such as syntax highlighting, code completion, code
>> folding, buffers, tabs,  ... Each editor or IDE has some or all of
>> these features, and you'll have to decide which features are important
>> to you.
>> See http://wiki.python.org/moin/PythonEditors for a list of editors.
>> Also http://wiki.python.org/moin/IntegratedDevelopmentEnvironments has
>> a list of IDEs.
> This question is asked every few weeks on comp.lang.python so searching
> the archives will yield many opinions.
>>
>> -
>> How do I make public and private attributes and methods in my classes?
>>
>> Python followws the philosophy of "we're all adults here" with respect
>> to hiding attributes and methods. i.e. trust the other programmers who
>> will use your classes. You can't really hide variables and methods in
>> Python. You can give clues to other programmers.
> By convention, a name that starts with a single underscore is an
> implementation detail that may change and should not be used by client 
> code.
> Python does do name
>> mangling. By putting two underscores before the attribute or method
>> name and not putting two underscores after the name, Python will 
>> mangle
>> the name by putting the class name in front of it.
> 
>>
>> For an short example see
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_mangling#Name_mangling_in_Python
>>
>> -
>> Why doesn't my regular expression work?
>>
>> Typically, it's an isssue between re.match and re.search. Match 
>> matches
>> the beginning only and search checks the entire string. See the 
>> regular
>> expression HOWTO for more details.
>>
>> http://www.amk.ca/python/howto/regex/
>
> Python comes with a handy program for testing regular expressions,
> Tools\Scripts\redemo.py.
>>
>> -
>> How do I perform matrix operations using Python?
>>
>> The Python FAQ has an entry on how to create multidimensional lists:
>> http://python.org/doc/faq/programming.html#how-do-i-create-a-
>> multidimensional-list
>>
>> You may want to look into the 'numarray' third party module:
>> http://www.stsci.edu/resources/software_hardware/numarray
> 
> You may want to look into the 'numpy' module which contains many
> resources for scientific computing including powerful matrix 
> operations:
> http://numeric.scipy.org/
>
> Kent
>
> ___
> Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor
>

___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ

2006-04-26 Thread Kent Johnson
Mike Hansen wrote:
> Here's the next batch of questions and answers for the tutor FAQ. If  
> you have any clarifications or corrections, please let me know. I'll  
> try to post this on the web site in a couple of days.

Thanks Mike!

> -
> What's the best editor/IDE for Python?
> 
> It's really a matter of preference. There are many features of an  
> editor or IDE such as syntax highlighting, code completion, code  
> folding, buffers, tabs,  ... Each editor or IDE has some or all of  
> these features, and you'll have to decide which features are important  
> to you.
> See http://wiki.python.org/moin/PythonEditors for a list of editors.
> Also http://wiki.python.org/moin/IntegratedDevelopmentEnvironments has  
> a list of IDEs.
This question is asked every few weeks on comp.lang.python so searching 
the archives will yield many opinions.
> 
> -
> How do I make public and private attributes and methods in my classes?
> 
> Python followws the philosophy of "we're all adults here" with respect  
> to hiding attributes and methods. i.e. trust the other programmers who  
> will use your classes. You can't really hide variables and methods in  
> Python. You can give clues to other programmers. 
By convention, a name that starts with a single underscore is an 
implementation detail that may change and should not be used by client code.
Python does do name
> mangling. By putting two underscores before the attribute or method  
> name and not putting two underscores after the name, Python will mangle  
> the name by putting the class name in front of it.

> 
> For an short example see
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_mangling#Name_mangling_in_Python
> 
> -
> Why doesn't my regular expression work?
> 
> Typically, it's an isssue between re.match and re.search. Match matches  
> the beginning only and search checks the entire string. See the regular  
> expression HOWTO for more details.
> 
> http://www.amk.ca/python/howto/regex/

Python comes with a handy program for testing regular expressions, 
Tools\Scripts\redemo.py.
> 
> -
> How do I perform matrix operations using Python?
> 
> The Python FAQ has an entry on how to create multidimensional lists:
> http://python.org/doc/faq/programming.html#how-do-i-create-a- 
> multidimensional-list
> 
> You may want to look into the 'numarray' third party module:
> http://www.stsci.edu/resources/software_hardware/numarray

You may want to look into the 'numpy' module which contains many 
resources for scientific computing including powerful matrix operations:
http://numeric.scipy.org/

Kent

___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-24 Thread Fredrik Lundh
Mike Hansen wrote:

> I'll post the questions and answers to the list first. If I don't get
> any corrections or clarifications in a day or so after posting, I'll
> add it to the tutor suggestion page.

excellent!

> Ed mentioned that you are using restructured text. Should I put
> the entry in restructured text? I spent some time last night reading
> up on restructured text and docutils.

the infogami site uses markdown, which is a similar (but a bit simpler,
imo) syntax.  There's a very brief introduction on

   http://pyfaq.infogami.com/suggest-tutor

(which basically says that you should use ## to mark the entry title, and
indent all code snippets by at least four spaces)

and there's an on-line test editor here:

   http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/dingus

(that pages also contains a cheatsheet and links to full documentation).

When this is moved over to python.org, it'll either be handled as HTML
or converted to ReST (which is the main syntax used on python.org),
but that'll all be taken care of by tools.  The important thing now is to
get the content in place.

cheers /F
___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-24 Thread Mike Hansen

On Apr 22, 2006, at 3:15 AM, Fredrik Lundh wrote:

> Ed wrote:
>
>> I don't think the FAQ is open to public editing yet.  I'm not sure
>> when it will be, but Fredrik might be able to give a timescale.
>
> There are a few known conversion issues to deal with (the FAQ uses
> a lot more "looks like markdown syntax" than the tutorial, which con-
> fused the converter).  I've made some progress, but it'll probably take
> another week before everything's sorted out.
>
> When Ed brought up the tutor/tutorial FAQ idea, my first thought
> was that Ed and other volunteers could add pages in a separate
> "tutor-" namespace (to avoid collisions with material from the
> existing FAQ), and ended up writing a couple of paragraphs on
> how to manually convert titles to page names.  When I found that
> I had written "this isn't quite as hard as it may look", I realized
> that it would be better if I just wrote a script that did this.
>
> So, while I'm working on that script, I suggest that you start adding
> stuff the "tutor suggestion" page that I just set up:
>
> http://pyfaq.infogami.com/suggest-tutor
>
> One entry per comment; use "## title" to mark the first line as the
> FAQ entry.  I've added Mike's examples.
>
> cheers /F
>

Hi,

I'll post the questions and answers to the list first. If I don't get 
any corrections or clarifications in a day or so after posting, I'll 
add it to the tutor suggestion page. Ed mentioned that you are using 
restructured text. Should I put the entry in restructured text? I spent 
some time last night reading up on restructured text and docutils.

Thanks,

Mike

___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-23 Thread Fredrik Lundh
Ed wrote:

> I don't think the FAQ is open to public editing yet.  I'm not sure
> when it will be, but Fredrik might be able to give a timescale.

There are a few known conversion issues to deal with (the FAQ uses
a lot more "looks like markdown syntax" than the tutorial, which con-
fused the converter).  I've made some progress, but it'll probably take
another week before everything's sorted out.

When Ed brought up the tutor/tutorial FAQ idea, my first thought
was that Ed and other volunteers could add pages in a separate
"tutor-" namespace (to avoid collisions with material from the
existing FAQ), and ended up writing a couple of paragraphs on
how to manually convert titles to page names.  When I found that
I had written "this isn't quite as hard as it may look", I realized
that it would be better if I just wrote a script that did this.

So, while I'm working on that script, I suggest that you start adding
stuff the "tutor suggestion" page that I just set up:

http://pyfaq.infogami.com/suggest-tutor

One entry per comment; use "## title" to mark the first line as the
FAQ entry.  I've added Mike's examples.

cheers /F
___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-23 Thread Fredrik Lundh
> When Ed brought up the tutor/tutorial FAQ idea

and yes, I'll change "tutorial FAQ" to "tutor FAQ", to make
things a bit less confusing.
___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-22 Thread Ed Singleton
> Yep, I'm volunteering. Forgive my ignorance, but I couldn't seem to figure
> out how to edit/add pages to http://pyfaq.infogami.com/. The tutorial wiki
> has the edit, but the pyfaq page doesn't. I am logged in using my reddit
> login.

I don't think the FAQ is open to public editing yet.  I'm not sure
when it will be, but Fredrik might be able to give a timescale.

I've made a start on adding your questions, but probably won't get to
do much more until tomorrow.

Ed

On 21/04/06, Mike Hansen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>
> > > Maybe this could be integrated with the main Python FAQ in a
> > > beginner's section? Fredrik Lundh is experimenting with a
> > FAQ wiki here:
> > > http://pyfaq.infogami.com/
> >
> > Actually I put something about this on PyFAQ just the other day.
> > Fredrik was quite keen on the idea, but I've been busy the
> > last couple of days and haven't got around to doing anything about it.
> >
> > Mike, if you're volunteering that would be perfect.  If
> > anyone here has ideas for questions that get asked a lot
> > (like "How do I write a program that prints a word
> > backwards") then just posting them in this thread would be a
> > good start.
> >
> > I assume Kent, Alan and Danny don't mind their answers being
> > reused in the wiki, but it would probably best to get
> > explicit permission from them (and other people) to re-use
> > text from their answers.
> >
> > Ed
> > ___
> > Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
> > http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor
> >
>
> Yep, I'm volunteering. Forgive my ignorance, but I couldn't seem to figure
> out how to edit/add pages to http://pyfaq.infogami.com/. The tutorial wiki
> has the edit, but the pyfaq page doesn't. I am logged in using my reddit
> login.
>
> Below is what little I slapped together last night. I copied the content
> from the Python tutor mailman page for the first question.
>
> =
> Python Tutor FAQ
> -
> What is Python Tutor?
>
> This list is for folks who want to ask questions regarding how to learn
> computer programming with the Python language.
>
> Python (http://www.python.org) is a programming language which many feel is
> a good first language, because it makes it easy to express the fundamental
> concepts of programming such as data structures and algorithms with a syntax
> which many find easy to read and write.
>
> Folks interested in learning about programming with Python are encouraged to
> join, as are folks interested in helping others learn. While the list is
> called tutor, anyone, whether novice or expert, can answer questions.
>
> If individuals wish to start off-line conversations about a particular
> concept and become one-on-one tutor/tutee, that's fine. If either party
> wants to summarize what they learned for others to benefit, that's fine too.
>
> There is a searchable interface to archived Tutor messages on Activestate's
> web site at
> http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Browse/Threaded/python-Tutor.
>
> To see the collection of prior postings to the list, visit the Tutor
> Archives at http://mail.python.org/pipermail/tutor/
>
> Using Tutor
> To post a message to all the list members, send email to tutor@python.org
>
> -
> I need help; I'm getting an error in my program. What should I do?
>
> If you are getting an error in your Python program that you don't
> understand, post the error message and any relevant code. Post the exact
> error message. Don't paraphrase the error message. The error message has
> details that can help resolve the issue that caused the error.
>
> -
> What is the policy on homework?
>
> Although those on the Python tutor mail list are eager to help, they don't
> want to hand you the answers to your homework. They want to help you find
> the answers. If you are having difficulty with your homework, send a message
> to the list about the problem and what you have tried. The tutors will try
> to nudge you in the right direction.
>
> -
> Why do my replies go to the person who sent the message and not to the list?
>
> This is by design.
> See http://www.unicom.com/pw/reply-to-harmful.html
>
> Also see this explanation
> http://mail.python.org/pipermail/tutor/2005-July/039889.html
>
> =
>
> Unless anyone has any more, I think the above covers the FAQs about the
> tutor list.
>
> Here's some of the FAQs that I came across scanning the list:
>
> ord and chr
> parsing html beautifulsoup
> editors/ides
> getters and setters
> regex match and find
> maxtrix operations
> how do I make an exe out of a python script
> books
> what sho

Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-21 Thread Mike Hansen
> -
> > I need help; I'm getting an error in my program. What should I do?
> > 
> > If you are getting an error in your Python program that you don't 
> > understand, post the error message and any relevant code. Post the 
> > exact error message. Don't paraphrase the error message. The error 
> > message has details that can help resolve the issue that 
> caused the error.
> 
> Instead of "Post the exact error message." I would say "Copy 
> and paste the entire error message into your email, including 
> the traceback."
> 
> Kent
> 

That's good. It didn't occur to me since I considered the error message as
including the traceback.

-
I need help; I'm getting an error in my program. What should I do?

If you are getting an error in your Python program that you don't
understand, post the error message and any relevant code. Copy and paste the
entire error message into your email, including the traceback. Don't
paraphrase the error message. The error message has details that can help
resolve the issue that caused the error.

Mike

___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-21 Thread Alan Gauld
I suspect the best way to generate a scientific list of FAQ is 
by scanning the subjects in the list archives. But here are 
a few more:

Special function _xxx_ doesn't work - double underscore needed

Lack of indentation or inconsistent indents - inc tabs and spaces

How to name an object based on user input - use a dictionary usually!

How to get an attribute of an object by name - getattr()

How does Python do my favourite PHP/Perl/VB trick
Various possibilities here

Binding functions to widgets
ie not using parens after the function name

How do I read the output from a program called via os.system()
popen, command and the new Popen class

Changing elements in a mutable object changes the object for 
all references

assignment versus equality in x=x+1

That should keep you busy :-)

Alan G.


> Below is what little I slapped together last night. I copied the content
> from the Python tutor mailman page for the first question. 
> 

> Here's some of the FAQs that I came across scanning the list:
> 
> ord and chr
> parsing html beautifulsoup
> editors/ides
> getters and setters
> regex match and find
> maxtrix operations
> how do I make an exe out of a python script 
> books 
> what should I program?
> unicode/encoding 
> 
> Mike
> 
> 
>
___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-21 Thread Kent Johnson
Mike Hansen wrote:

> -
> I need help; I'm getting an error in my program. What should I do?
> 
> If you are getting an error in your Python program that you don't
> understand, post the error message and any relevant code. Post the exact
> error message. Don't paraphrase the error message. The error message has
> details that can help resolve the issue that caused the error.

Instead of "Post the exact error message." I would say "Copy and paste 
the entire error message into your email, including the traceback."

Kent

___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-21 Thread Mike Hansen
 

> > Maybe this could be integrated with the main Python FAQ in a 
> > beginner's section? Fredrik Lundh is experimenting with a 
> FAQ wiki here:
> > http://pyfaq.infogami.com/
> 
> Actually I put something about this on PyFAQ just the other day. 
> Fredrik was quite keen on the idea, but I've been busy the 
> last couple of days and haven't got around to doing anything about it.
> 
> Mike, if you're volunteering that would be perfect.  If 
> anyone here has ideas for questions that get asked a lot 
> (like "How do I write a program that prints a word 
> backwards") then just posting them in this thread would be a 
> good start.
> 
> I assume Kent, Alan and Danny don't mind their answers being 
> reused in the wiki, but it would probably best to get 
> explicit permission from them (and other people) to re-use 
> text from their answers.
> 
> Ed
> ___
> Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor
>

Yep, I'm volunteering. Forgive my ignorance, but I couldn't seem to figure
out how to edit/add pages to http://pyfaq.infogami.com/. The tutorial wiki
has the edit, but the pyfaq page doesn't. I am logged in using my reddit
login. 

Below is what little I slapped together last night. I copied the content
from the Python tutor mailman page for the first question. 

=
Python Tutor FAQ
-
What is Python Tutor?

This list is for folks who want to ask questions regarding how to learn
computer programming with the Python language.

Python (http://www.python.org) is a programming language which many feel is
a good first language, because it makes it easy to express the fundamental
concepts of programming such as data structures and algorithms with a syntax
which many find easy to read and write.

Folks interested in learning about programming with Python are encouraged to
join, as are folks interested in helping others learn. While the list is
called tutor, anyone, whether novice or expert, can answer questions.

If individuals wish to start off-line conversations about a particular
concept and become one-on-one tutor/tutee, that's fine. If either party
wants to summarize what they learned for others to benefit, that's fine too.

There is a searchable interface to archived Tutor messages on Activestate's
web site at
http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Browse/Threaded/python-Tutor.

To see the collection of prior postings to the list, visit the Tutor
Archives at http://mail.python.org/pipermail/tutor/

Using Tutor
To post a message to all the list members, send email to tutor@python.org

-
I need help; I'm getting an error in my program. What should I do?

If you are getting an error in your Python program that you don't
understand, post the error message and any relevant code. Post the exact
error message. Don't paraphrase the error message. The error message has
details that can help resolve the issue that caused the error.

-
What is the policy on homework?

Although those on the Python tutor mail list are eager to help, they don't
want to hand you the answers to your homework. They want to help you find
the answers. If you are having difficulty with your homework, send a message
to the list about the problem and what you have tried. The tutors will try
to nudge you in the right direction.

-
Why do my replies go to the person who sent the message and not to the list?

This is by design. 
See http://www.unicom.com/pw/reply-to-harmful.html

Also see this explanation
http://mail.python.org/pipermail/tutor/2005-July/039889.html

=

Unless anyone has any more, I think the above covers the FAQs about the
tutor list.

Here's some of the FAQs that I came across scanning the list:

ord and chr
parsing html beautifulsoup
editors/ides
getters and setters
regex match and find
maxtrix operations
how do I make an exe out of a python script 
books 
what should I program?
unicode/encoding 

Mike

___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-21 Thread Danny Yoo
> I assume Kent, Alan and Danny don't mind their answers being reused in 
> the wiki, but it would probably best to get explicit permission from 
> them (and other people) to re-use text from their answers.

I give explicit permission for any of my replies to be reused this way.
___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-21 Thread Ed Singleton
On 21/04/06, Kent Johnson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Ed Singleton wrote:
> > If anyone here
> > has ideas for questions that get asked a lot (like "How do I write a
> > program that prints a word backwards") then just posting them in this
> > thread would be a good start.
>
> We should be careful about posting solutions to homework problems, which
> this could easily be.

Agreed ;-)

The last couple of times people have asked this, there's been some
really good replies that helped them tease out the solution (what to
think about, how to think about the problem, etc).

I think quite a lot of the answers to some FAQs won't be solutions, but advice.

Ed
___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-21 Thread Alan Gauld
I hereby give my permission for any answer I've ever posted to 
this list or to any other Python list or newsgroup to be used in 
any Python related FAQ anyone cares to produce! :-)

Alan G.

- Original Message - 
From: "Ed Singleton" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: 
Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 2:38 PM
Subject: Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?


> --
Mike, if you're volunteering that would be perfect.  If anyone here
has ideas for questions that get asked a lot (like "How do I write a
program that prints a word backwards") then just posting them in this
thread would be a good start.

I assume Kent, Alan and Danny don't mind their answers being reused in
the wiki, but it would probably best to get explicit permission from
them (and other people) to re-use text from their answers.

Ed


___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-21 Thread Kent Johnson
Ed Singleton wrote:
> If anyone here
> has ideas for questions that get asked a lot (like "How do I write a
> program that prints a word backwards") then just posting them in this
> thread would be a good start.

We should be careful about posting solutions to homework problems, which 
this could easily be.
> 
> I assume Kent, Alan and Danny don't mind their answers being reused in
> the wiki, but it would probably best to get explicit permission from
> them (and other people) to re-use text from their answers.

Fine with me!

Kent

___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-21 Thread Ed Singleton
On 20/04/06, Kent Johnson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Mike Hansen wrote:
> > I'd like to send a big Thank You to Danny, Alan, Kent and others(whos names
> > escape me) for being such an asset to the Python community by relentlessly
> > answering questions on the tutor list.(Do these guys sleep? They must work
> > in shifts.) This list is one of the most civilized and responsive lists I
> > have ever read. When many pop onto the list and ask what may seem like some
> > of the most obvious questions, you guys calmly answer and nudge them in the
> > right direction without ever losing your patience. It's a great list.
>
> Thanks! I do sleep but I have my email tied in to my clock radio so
> whenever an email arrives on the tutor list I am awakened to answer it ;)
> >
> > Anyway, I've been reading the list for a couple of years now, and I wonder
> > if a Tutor FAQ would be helpful. I don't believe one exists. Should there be
> > something on the Python wiki that would list the most common questions to
> > the tutor list along with their answers? It would be a FAQ about the tutor
> > list as well as common questions to the tutor list.
>
> I wonder about this sometimes too. I think it would be good to have a
> place to collect this stuff.
>
> Maybe this could be integrated with the main Python FAQ in a beginner's
> section? Fredrik Lundh is experimenting with a FAQ wiki here:
> http://pyfaq.infogami.com/

Actually I put something about this on PyFAQ just the other day. 
Fredrik was quite keen on the idea, but I've been busy the last couple
of days and haven't got around to doing anything about it.

Mike, if you're volunteering that would be perfect.  If anyone here
has ideas for questions that get asked a lot (like "How do I write a
program that prints a word backwards") then just posting them in this
thread would be a good start.

I assume Kent, Alan and Danny don't mind their answers being reused in
the wiki, but it would probably best to get explicit permission from
them (and other people) to re-use text from their answers.

Ed
___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-20 Thread Mike Hansen
 
> Thanks! I do sleep but I have my email tied in to my clock 
> radio so whenever an email arrives on the tutor list I am 
> awakened to answer it ;)

Hmmm.. I wouldn't be surprised if there's an X10 module that does that. =)

[...]

> Maybe this could be integrated with the main Python FAQ in a 
> beginner's section? Fredrik Lundh is experimenting with a FAQ 
> wiki here:
> http://pyfaq.infogami.com/

I'll take a look at this.

> Sounds good to me. Are you volunteering?

Yes, I'll get the ball rolling. I'll most likely do something on the site
above. I'll post to this list when I have something worth looking at.

Mike

___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-20 Thread Alan Gauld

> I'd like to send a big Thank You to Danny, Alan, Kent and others

Over the years there have been many, some have moved from
tutor list to c.l.python others have just got too busy. Others reappear
and then disappear again at intervals. (Who remembers Ivan, Gregor,
Magnus etc etc.)

> answering questions on the tutor list.(Do these guys sleep? They must work
> in shifts.)

I live in the UK, Kent and Danny in the US so that gives
a 5-7 hour time shift for free! :-)

> if a Tutor FAQ would be helpful. I don't believe one exists.

It's been discussed several times but no-one ever quite got round to it.

If you want to make a worthwhile contribution to the Python
community that would be a good starting point!

My tutor tries to answer the most common questions but its
not so easy to findthe answers when buried inside a prose topic
page.

> the tutor list along with their answers? It would be a FAQ about the tutor
> list as well as common questions to the tutor list.

Agreed.

> FAQ about the Tutor List would include
> FAQ for common questions to the list would include
>
> I'm sure you can come up with more of the common questions.

And then "all" it takes is someone to collate them and provide the
answers. The Active State searchable artchive should be a
good starting point.

> like a reasonable idea?

Absolutely, are you volunteering? :-)

Alan G.

___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-20 Thread Eric Walker

Kent Johnson wrote:

Mike Hansen wrote:
  

I'd like to send a big Thank You to Danny, Alan, Kent and others(whos names
escape me) for being such an asset to the Python community by relentlessly
answering questions on the tutor list.(Do these guys sleep? They must work
in shifts.) This list is one of the most civilized and responsive lists I
have ever read. When many pop onto the list and ask what may seem like some
of the most obvious questions, you guys calmly answer and nudge them in the
right direction without ever losing your patience. It's a great list.



Thanks! I do sleep but I have my email tied in to my clock radio so 
whenever an email arrives on the tutor list I am awakened to answer it ;)
  

Anyway, I've been reading the list for a couple of years now, and I wonder
if a Tutor FAQ would be helpful. I don't believe one exists. Should there be
something on the Python wiki that would list the most common questions to
the tutor list along with their answers? It would be a FAQ about the tutor
list as well as common questions to the tutor list.



I wonder about this sometimes too. I think it would be good to have a 
place to collect this stuff.


Maybe this could be integrated with the main Python FAQ in a beginner's 
section? Fredrik Lundh is experimenting with a FAQ wiki here:

http://pyfaq.infogami.com/

  

FAQ about the Tutor List would include
- The policy on answering homework assignment
- Why the reply-to is set that way.
- Post code and exact error message.
(A lot of this might be in that initial message you get from mailman when
joining the list, but it might be a good idea to put it on the wiki)

FAQ for common questions to the list would include
- ord() and chr()
- Common GUI programming questions
- String module is deprecated, use string methods
- ???

I'm sure you can come up with more of the common questions. Does this sound
like a reasonable idea?



Sounds good to me. Are you volunteering?

Kent

___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor

  
Hey guys the FAQ thing sound great. I found what I think is the best 
pyQT tutorial around.

Took me like 10 minutes and I am off and running.
http://www.cs.usfca.edu/~afedosov/qttut/

begin:vcard
fn:Eric Walker
n:Walker;Eric
org:Micron Technologies
email;internet:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
title:EDA Applications Engineer
tel;work:208-368-2573
version:2.1
end:vcard

___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor


Re: [Tutor] Tutor FAQ?

2006-04-20 Thread Kent Johnson
Mike Hansen wrote:
> I'd like to send a big Thank You to Danny, Alan, Kent and others(whos names
> escape me) for being such an asset to the Python community by relentlessly
> answering questions on the tutor list.(Do these guys sleep? They must work
> in shifts.) This list is one of the most civilized and responsive lists I
> have ever read. When many pop onto the list and ask what may seem like some
> of the most obvious questions, you guys calmly answer and nudge them in the
> right direction without ever losing your patience. It's a great list.

Thanks! I do sleep but I have my email tied in to my clock radio so 
whenever an email arrives on the tutor list I am awakened to answer it ;)
> 
> Anyway, I've been reading the list for a couple of years now, and I wonder
> if a Tutor FAQ would be helpful. I don't believe one exists. Should there be
> something on the Python wiki that would list the most common questions to
> the tutor list along with their answers? It would be a FAQ about the tutor
> list as well as common questions to the tutor list.

I wonder about this sometimes too. I think it would be good to have a 
place to collect this stuff.

Maybe this could be integrated with the main Python FAQ in a beginner's 
section? Fredrik Lundh is experimenting with a FAQ wiki here:
http://pyfaq.infogami.com/

> 
> FAQ about the Tutor List would include
> - The policy on answering homework assignment
> - Why the reply-to is set that way.
> - Post code and exact error message.
> (A lot of this might be in that initial message you get from mailman when
> joining the list, but it might be a good idea to put it on the wiki)
> 
> FAQ for common questions to the list would include
> - ord() and chr()
> - Common GUI programming questions
> - String module is deprecated, use string methods
> - ???
> 
> I'm sure you can come up with more of the common questions. Does this sound
> like a reasonable idea?

Sounds good to me. Are you volunteering?

Kent

___
Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor