Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu

Archive-name: python-faq/part1

Version: 1.2

Last-modified: 24 Jan 1994

Version: 1.3

Last-modified: 26 Jan 1994

This article contains answers to Frequently Asked Questions about

Python (an object-oriented interpreted programming language -- see

1.5. Q. Is there a newsgroup or mailing list devoted to Python?

1.6. Q. Is there a book on Python, or will there be one out soon?

1.7. Q. Are there any published articles about Python that I can quote?

1.8. Q. How does the Python version numbering scheme work?

2. Python in the real world

2.1. Q. How many people are using Python?

2.2. Q. Have any significant projects been done in Python?

2.3. Q. Are there any commercial projects going on using Python?

2.4. Q. What new developments are expected for Python in the future?

2.5. Q. How stable is Python?

2.6. Q. Any more future plans?

2.4. Q. How stable is Python?

2.5. Q. What new developments are expected for Python in the future?

3. Building Python

3.1. Q. I have trouble building the md5 module and/or finding the file

operations, but when playing with floating point operations I cannot

find anything wrong with them.

3.4. Q. I get an OverflowError on evaluating 2*2. What is going on?

3.5. Q. Trouble building Python 0.9.9 on platform X.

3.5. Q. Trouble building Python 0.9.9 or earlier on platform X.

3.6. Q. Trouble building Python 1.0.0 on platform X.

4. Programming in Python

4.1. Q. Can I create an object class with some methods implemented in

6.3. Q. Why isn't there a switch or case statement in Python?

7. Using Python on non-UNIX platforms

7.1. Q. Where's the DOS version of 0.9.9?

7.1. Q. Where's the DOS version of 1.0.0?

7.2. Q. Is there a Windows version of Python?

7.3. Q. I have the Mac or DOS version but it appears to be only a binary.

Where's the library?

tar file containing the complete C source, LaTeX documentation, Python

library modules, example programs, and several useful pieces of freely

distributable software. This will compile and run out of the box on

most UNIX platforms. Currently <version> is 0.9.9. (See section 7

most UNIX platforms. Currently <version> is 1.0.0. (See section 7

for non-UNIX information.)

1.4. Q. How do I get documentation on Python?

/pub/python, with filename pythondoc-ps<version>.tar.Z. It is a

compressed tar file containing PostScript files of the reference

manual, the library manual, and the tutorial. Currently <version> is

0.9.9. (Note that the library manual is the most important one of the

1.0.0. (Note that the library manual is the most important one of the

set, as much of Python's power stems from the standard or built-in

types, functions and modules, all of which are described here.)

PostScript for a high-level description of Python is in the file

ftp.funet.fi 128.214.6.100 /pub/languages/python (old?)

ftp.fu-berlin.de 130.133.4.50 /pub/unix/languages/python (python* only)

Or try archie on e.g. python0.9.9.tar.Z to locate the nearest copy of

Or try archie on e.g. python1.0.0.tar.Z to locate the nearest copy of

that version...

1.5. Q. Is there a newsgroup or mailing list devoted to Python?

questions earlier, with filenames nluug-paper.ps and nluug-slides.ps,

respectively.

1.8. Q. How does the Python version numbering scheme work?

A. Python versions are numbered A.B.C. A is the major version number

-- it is only incremented for major changes in functionality or source

structure. B is the minor version number, incremented for less

earth-shattering changes to a release. C is the patchlevel -- it is

incremented for each new release. Note that in the past, patches have

added significant changes; in fact the changeover from 0.9.9 to 1.0.0

was the first time that either A or B changed!

2. Python in the real world

===========================

consisting of Bull, CWI and some other European companies. Contact:

Ivan Herman <ivan@cwi.nl>.

2.4. Q. What new developments are expected for Python in the future?

A. I am almost ready to release version 1.0.0 -- it should be out by

the end of January 1994. It will have some new functionality and

bugfixes and be portable to more platforms. The directory tree

structure and build procedure will be radically different -- almost

all configuration is now done automatically, using GNU autoconf.

User-visible changes include: double-quoted strings, functional

programming operations (lambda, map, filter, reduce -- all evaluated

eagerly), exec becomes a statement, str() is customizable through

__str__ (used by print). The originally planned grand renaming scheme

will not be implemented because of lack of time. A beta version can

be ftp'ed from the usual sites, file python1.0.0beta.tar.Z.

2.5. Q. How stable is Python?

2.4. Q. How stable is Python?

A. Very stable. While the current version number (0.9.9) would

A. Very stable. While the current version number (1.0.0) would

suggest it is in the early stages of development, in fact new, stable

releases have been coming out every 3-6 months for the past three years.

releases (numbered 0.9.x) have been coming out roughly every 3 to 6

months for the past four years.

2.6. Q. Any more future plans?

2.5. Q. What new developments are expected for Python in the future?

A. Without warranty that any of this will actually be realized: I am

A. Without warranty that any of this will actually be realized: I am

currently thinking about mechanisms for built-in on-line help and a

switch/case statement. There are also some people (independently)

working on a windowing interface based on STDWIN but with the power

and ease of use of the average modern widget set. I still hope to get

some help in producing a Windows version. It would be nice if there

were a window-based class browser (Someone at CWI has contributed one

using Motif but it needs some work).

switch/case statement. A pthreads interface has been contributed

which I would like to merge into the latest release. The X interface

needs improving. There are also some people (independently) working

on a windowing interface based on STDWIN but with the power and ease

of use of the average modern widget set. I still hope to get some

help in producing a Windows version. It would be nice if there were a

window-based class browser (Someone at CWI has contributed one using

Motif but it needs some work). Also: improved support for embedding

Python in other applications, e.g. by renaming most global symbols to

have a "Py" prefix and providing more documentation and threading

support.

3. Building Python

You should also include <limits.h> and replace the constant 32 by

LONG_BIT in int_[lr]shift.

3.5. Q. Trouble building Python 0.9.9 on platform X.

A. In the bootstrap phase (before you have built the first running

interpreter), make sure the -D settings in the Makefile are correct

for your system. In particular you may have to add or delete -DSYSV.

It may also be necessary to change the flags used to compile

posixmodule.c and timemodule.c; e.g. on AIX the following are

necessary:

posixmodule.c: -DHAVE_STDLIB -DNOALTTZ -DOLDTZ -Dunix -DSYSV -DDO_TIMES

timemodule.c: -DHAVE_STDLIB -DNOALTTZ -DOLDTZ -Uunix -DSYSV -DBSD_TIME

(Note the -Uunix for timemodule!)

Those switches for timemodule also require that the

#ifdef unix

#ifdef BSD_TIME

just above:

static long

millitimer()

( and below the "#endif /* macintosh */" version of millitimer

be changed to:

#if defined(unix) | defined(BSD_TIME)

#ifdef BSD_TIME

3.5. Q. Trouble building Python 0.9.9 or earlier on platform X.

Please convert to Python 1.0.0 -- it is much more portable.

3.6. Q. Trouble building Python 1.0.0 on platform X.

A. Please email the details to <guido@cwi.nl> and I'll look into it.

4. Programming in Python

7. Using Python on non-UNIX platforms

=====================================

7.1. Q. Where's the DOS version of 0.9.9?

7.1. Q. Where's the DOS version of 1.0.0?

A. I hope it will be coming soon. A friend with a DOS machine and a

compiler has volunteered to build it but he's very busy. Until then,

you will have to make do with the 0.9.8 version (which isn't so bad,

actually).

A. I hope it will be coming soon. Our institute has finally acquired

a 486 PC with a decent C compiler, now all I have to do is to learn

how to use it :-) Until then, you will have to make do with the 0.9.8

version (which isn't so bad, actually).

7.2. Q. Is there a Windows version of Python?

A. You still need to copy the files from the distribution directory

"python/lib" to your system. If you don't have the full distribution,

you can ftp the file pythonlib0.9.9.tar.Z from site ftp.cwi.nl,

you can ftp the file pythonlib1.0.0.tar.Z from site ftp.cwi.nl,

directory /pub/python; this is a subset of the distribution containing

just those file.