Dr. Dobb's Python-URL!

QOTW:  "the DOM API is designed for consultants, not for humans or
computers" -- Fredrik Lundh giving solace to a confused DOM API user

QOTW:  "Python enjoys making tradeoffs that drive *someone* crazy 
<wink>" -- Michael Hudson's signature line attributed to Tim Peters


Discussion
----------
    Alex Martelli shows the classic example for the "for-else"
    construct:
        <http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=AyCcb.164837%24R32.5292095@news2.tin.it>

    Peter Hansen presents a simple solution to intercepting outgoing 
    SMTP traffic like some anti-virus programs do:
	<http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=3F7B1305.5579D5FB@engcorp.com>

    Descriptors puzzle Denis S. Otkidach; at first, Michael Hudson judges
    his example a bug; then, Alex provides an external link to a clear
    explanation; then Michael concludes all is in order and finds out that
    the answer was already in the official docs.  Moral:  the new docs are
    more complete than ever.
	<http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=mailman.1065036005.21807.python-list@python.org>

    Alex Martelli demonstrates the basics of extending a class and
    answers related questions about local variable scope and encapsulation:
        <http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=OLxeb.148140%24hE5.5036439@news1.tin.it>

    Oren Tirosh neatly solves the problem of validating keyword argument
    dictionaries:
        <http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=mailman.1064832220.26073.python-list@python.org>

    Shu-Hsien Sheu innocently asks when try/except is preferred to
    if/then.  The ensuing conversation nicely covers the most common
    use cases, good program design, and Python's unique approach to
    the subject:
	<http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=mailman.1064330017.10730.python-list@python.org>

    Raymond Hettinger (yours truly) invites comments on PEP-322, reverse
    iteration methods:
	<http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=95rcb.2002%24yU5.1775@nwrdny01.gnilink.net>
	<http://www.python.org/peps/pep-0322.html>

    Stephen Horne initiates threads discussing PEP-284 (integer for-loops)
    and PEP-315 (Enhanced while loops):
	<http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=5j4vmvgnr5v68f6lupbpgt0mop6l7ps2sn@4ax.com>
	<http://www.python.org/peps/pep-0284.html>
        <http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=oalumvopu9afuhno85tbp2erl52rk9hht1@4ax.com>
	<http://www.python.org/peps/pep-0315.html>

    Skip Montanaro's concept glossary was built by the community through
    a wiki and then added to the tutorial.  See the results at:
	<http://www.python.org/dev/doc/devel/tut/node16.html>

    This week's language change suggestions:
    * adding an iterreverse() method to list, tuples, xrange, and strings

Releases
--------
    Python 2.3.2c1 - release candidate for Python 2.3.2.  Expect the
    final release this week at:
	<http://www.python.org/2.3.2/>

    ZODB 3.2b2 - last new work and bugfixes before the ZODB 3.2 final 
    release:
	<http://www.zope.org/Products/ZODB3.2>

    wxPyPlot 1.2 -an enhanced derivative of wxPlotCanvas for lightweight
    plotting in wxPython:
	<http://www.cyberus.ca/~g_will/wxPython/wxpyplot.html>

    DocIndexer 0.5.1.1 - toolkit (written in Python) for indexing and
    searching document directories:
	< http://www.methods.co.nz/docindexer/>

    IbPy 0.2 - third-party implementation of the API used for accessing
    the Interactive Brokers on-line trading system:
	<http://ibpy.sourceforge.net/>

    SciParam 1.0.1 - Python package to easily add additional quality
    control for entering scientific parameters in wxPython-based user
    interfaces.
	<See http://great-er.intevation.org/sciparam/>

    pylint 0.2 - source code checker for Python code:
	<http://www.logilab.org/projects/pylint>

    texd 0.4 - daemon form of PyTeX, a tool script generated
	typesetting use TeX:
        <http://cvs.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/texd/>


========================================================================
Everything Python-related you want is probably one or two clicks away in
these pages:

    Python.org's Python Language Website is the traditional
    center of Pythonia
        http://www.python.org
    Notice especially the master FAQ
        http://www.python.org/doc/FAQ.html

    PythonWare complements the digest you're reading with the
    daily python url
         http://www.pythonware.com/daily  
    Mygale is a news-gathering webcrawler that specializes in (new)
    World-Wide Web articles related to Python.
         http://www.awaretek.com/nowak/mygale.html 
    While cosmetically similar, Mygale and the Daily Python-URL
    are utterly different in their technologies and generally in
    their results.

    comp.lang.python.announce announces new Python software.  Be
    sure to scan this newly-revitalized newsgroup at least weekly.
        http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&as_ugroup=comp.lang.python.announce

    Brett Cannon continues the marvelous tradition established by 
    Andrew Kuchling and Michael Hudson of summarizing action on the
    python-dev mailing list once every other week.
	http://www.python.org/dev/summary/

    The Python Package Index catalogues packages.
        http://www.python.org/pypi/

    The somewhat older Vaults of Parnassus ambitiously collects references
    to all sorts of Python resources.
        http://www.vex.net/~x/parnassus/   

    Much of Python's real work takes place on Special-Interest Group
    mailing lists
        http://www.python.org/sigs/

    The Python Business Forum "further[s] the interests of companies
    that base their business on ... Python."
	http://www.python-in-business.org

    The Python Software Foundation has replaced the Python Consortium
    as an independent nexus of activity
        http://www.python.org/psf/

    Cetus does much of the same
        http://www.cetus-links.org/oo_python.html

    Python FAQTS
        http://python.faqts.com/

    The old Python "To-Do List" now lives principally in a
    SourceForge reincarnation.
        http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?atid=355470&group_id=5470&func=browse
        http://python.sourceforge.net/peps/pep-0042.html
     
    The online Python Journal is posted at pythonjournal.cognizor.com.
    editor@pythonjournal.com and editor@pythonjournal.cognizor.com
    welcome submission of material that helps people's understanding
    of Python use, and offer Web presentation of your work.

    *Py: the Journal of the Python Language*
        http://www.pyzine.com

    Archive probing tricks of the trade:
        http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&as_ugroup=comp.lang.python&num=100
        http://groups.google.com/groups?meta=site%3Dgroups%26group%3Dcomp.lang.python.*

Previous - (U)se the (R)esource, (L)uke! - messages are listed here:
  http://www.ddj.com/topics/pythonurl/         
  http://purl.org/thecliff/python/url.html (dormant)
or
  http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&as_q=+Python-URL!&as_ugroup=comp.lang.python


Suggestions/corrections for next week's posting are always welcome.
E-mail to <Python-URL@phaseit.net> should get through.

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-- The Python-URL! Team--

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