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81 lines
3.8 KiB
Text
81 lines
3.8 KiB
Text
Announcing Python
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Python, a mature, powerful and stable programming language used by
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tens of thousands of programmers worldwide, has arrived in full force
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at the heart of Windows 95 and Windows NT. Toting the powerful
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toolbox which has made it such a sucess on almost every modern
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operating system, Python for Windows has embraced the metaphors and
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resources of its new home and turned them into powerful tools within
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the Python language.
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Python's wrapper-around-a-tool metaphor allows it to provide a
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well-formed handle for manipulating the technologies which MicroSoft
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provides to the programmer. These tools include:
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- Office automation and customisation through ActiveX and COM Scripting
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- Networking services
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- Remote access services
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- Performance monitoring
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- Registry maintenance
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- Database interaction through both ODBC and native database drivers
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In addition, Python provides access to the standard
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application-building libraries, the MicroSoft Foundation Classes.
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Python is a high-level, interpreted, interactive, object-oriented
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programming language. It provides the modern features programmer's
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expect or desire, modules, exceptions, dynamic typing, high-level
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dynamic data types, and classes. It combines remarkable power with
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clear syntax, and easy extension.
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It is easy to extend Python by adding new, compiled tools to the
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language. The compiling of extensions into the language toolbox
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mitigates the overhead of interpretation, while the ability to mix
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compiled and interpretted code promotes rapid application
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development. In addition, it is possible to embed Python itself as a
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tool in your applications, an easily understood and readily learned
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extension language.
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(Should be some sort of bridge between the ideas of extending and the
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ideas of already-available tools, but I have to start work soon...)
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Python's extensive, portable toolbox, available on Windows, most
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Unixes, MacOS, DOS, and OS/2 includes a host of powerful tools which
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are now easily available to Windows programmers. These include:
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- TCP/IP socket support
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- CGI Forms Processing for the World-wide web
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- Clients and servers for (among others) the HTTP and FTP protocols
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- Powerful text manipulation facilities
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- Powerful (optional) numeric and image manipulation facilities
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One of the most exciting of Python for Windows' new tools is
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COM/ActiveX support. This tool allows Python to act as both server
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and client to any COM-capable application or language, a group that
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includes MSOffice, CorelDraw, MS Active Server Pages, Netscape
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Communicator, MS Internet Explorer, Delphi, Visual Basic and Visual
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C++.
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Client support allows Python to drive these applications (or
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applications written in these languages), automating tasks, importing
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or exporting data, customising environments and processing
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information. Server support allows Python to be driven in a similar
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manner, to provide access to its tools to any application capable of
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calling a COM object.
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> Python's dynamism, flexibility, object oriented features, and
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> ease of use make it a powerful and useful alternative to Java,
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> Visual Basic, and compiled languages such as Delphi or C++.
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> Simply put Python offers the simplest and most powerful way
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> to solve many important programming and system administration
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> tasks in the ActiveX/COM environment."
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It is, however, Python which is the star of Python for Windows.
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Over seven years old, Python has long been a favourite of Web
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Masters, Python is a clear, easily learned and understood language
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with features that lend themselves to developing rapid, robust,
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dynamic solutions. It is being used to solve problems in many large
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organisations, notably including ... (insert notes here). It is
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enthusiastically supported through public newsgroups and mailing
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lists frequented by a large number of Python enthusiasts. Python
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arguably provides the best support of any free language available.
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