On Thu, Mar 18, 2010 at 6:42 AM, Kevin Kirton <kpkir...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi all, > > I've committed myself to learning Python and have started reading > "Learning Python" (Mark Lutz) and looking through various online > resources. > My career so far has involved a little high school teaching and about > 10 years of translating Japanese to English, but no programming or > coding. > Welcome to python! I've never read that book, but I hear it's pretty good. > > I've also joined this list today and this is my first post. > > My aim is to be able to create Python programs, specifically > "activities" that work on the OLPC's XO laptops and SoaS (Sugar on a > Stick). > I don't know anything about the SoaS, but I do know a teeny bit about OLPC's XO laptops. Python is a great tool for several reasons - among them the availability of source code allows experimentation by XO users, which is in line with the XO philosophy. > > My questions are: how long would you estimate it to take and how > complicated would it be to create the following as Python programs? (I > know it varies depending on the person, but for example, how long > would it take _you_?) > > (i) a simple guitar tuning program involving an image of a guitar and > the playing of each of the standard strings of a guitar (E, A, D, G, > B, E) upon key input by the user > (something similar to this: > http://www.gieson.com/Library/projects/utilities/tuner/ (page is 782kb > to open)) > and > I could probably make something similar to that in less than a few hours, and most of it would be learning how to output the sound. If I had that knowledge I could make a VERY basic one in ~30 minutes, and make one that's rather nice within an hour or two. > (ii) a very basic turtle art program with an intentionally limited set > of commands and on-screen display words (say, a total of 30 to 50 > specific strings), wherein the entire set of strings is offered to the > user (perhaps at first use of the program) in a format that enables > easy and full localization of the program so long as each of the > strings is translated appropriately and inputted to the program. I > know of turtle.py and xturtle.py, but I'm thinking of starting > something from scratch. It's the easy localization I'm interested in. > That would probably take a little longer if only the more complicated design. That sounds like a project that I would probably work on over the course of a few days - some research, some design, some coding. Both of these projects are very possible for the beginner/novice with a little education (I'd start on the guitar tuner first as its level of complexity is much lower). HTH, Wayne
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