On Sat, 14 May 2005 14:26, Richard Tindall wrote: > Hello List, > > Having settled with Ubuntu5.04 as a versatile & stable platform, I'm > getting to know the packages available. Pike is there in quantity, but > Python much more so. This must reflect the relative scale of the > language projects. > > My quetion is whether anyone would like to show the rudiments and > uniqueness of either at the Gnu/Linux User meeting of Weds June 1st. > > It is formally an editor session, starting with Emacs, on which test > material will be C.
> This is a good opportunity for someone to put up > another editor and language for comparison purposes. Not really imho. emacs is a _huge_ software system which will need the whole of an evening, and more, to merely scratch the surface. vim is similar. > Any new computer > used to project from we would arrange to test first, or you could use > the proven gear available - just specifiy your software requirements. > > Python, of course, is as integral to Linux scripting now as C is to the > kernel. That's a superficial view. No, Python is far from from "integral to Linux scripting". sh and bash have that epithet. After all Unix started life in 1970 yet Python was not invented until more than fifteen years had passed. A series of "how you do scripts" evenings would be a both interesting and worthwhile. The languages which come to mind include:- A) PERL - The glue which holds the Web together. A write-only language. B) Python - Created by a Monty Python fan. C) Ruby - In Japan, it's more popular than Python. Painless Smalltalk. D) Smalltalk - The Daddy of all Object-Oriented Languages. Powerful stuff. E) Pike - Space blank for Martin to fill in. F) Shells - The shell languages are essential knowledge. G) PHP - Interpreter for web pages. Plus any others. Suggestions are most welcome. The problem for the session organiser is that it is very difficult to find speakers who are knowledgeable, have the time to prepare a talk, and the ability to present the information clearly. I know there are CLUGers who know B, C, and F. Some years ago there was a subscriber who is a Smalltalk expert. I don't know if he is still subscribed. The other consideration is that somebody has to decide whether these talks are to be aimed at beginners, or for experienced gung-ho programmers. Volunteers anybody? Start the ball rolling in a private mail if so desired. -- C. S.
