Python

Python was the first grown-up language I learned, and it remains my first love. Python is hugely powerful, elegant, well-documents, and easy to use.

Articles on Python

  1. DNS Zone File Fun with Python and Emacs

    Sometimes we’re faced with a boring, manual, labourious job which really needs to be done, will take a fairly long time, and be pretty unpleasant. Whenever I’m faced with something like this, especially if it involves text, I try to make it interesting by setting myself the challenge of writing a script and/or using my editor to do the job faster than had I done it manually.

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  2. Getting a recent Python on Red Hat or CentOS

    Red Hat and CentOS are ubiquitous, ultra-reliable, and stable. However that safe, predictability comes at a cost - particularly if you’re a Python programmer. Python 2.4, the standard distributed Python in Red Hat and CentOS is getting a bit long in the tooth. It was released in 2004, and was followed by 2.5 in 2006, and 2.6 in 2008. Python 3.1 is the current version (backwards-incompatible), and was released this summer. However, Red Hat uses Python exstensively as its system scripting langauge, so any upgrades of Python need to be handled carefully.

    Find out how to get a recent Python on Red Hat or CentOS.