Steve Holden schrieb: > Paul Moore wrote: >> On 04/03/2008, Nick Coghlan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >>> Do we need a new appendix to the tutorial which goes into detail about >>> the CPython interpreter's command line options, environment variables >>> and details on what can be executed? >> >> There is a Python man page, which covers the command line usage. >> However, it's separate from the documentation, and it isn't bundled >> with the Windows installers - both of which are a real pain (for me, >> at least). >> >> I'd suggest taking the man page, adding the information about >> executing zip files and directories, and putting the whole lot into >> the formal documentation.
Look no further: http://docs.python.org/dev/using/cmdline.html There's even more platform-specific stuff at http://docs.python.org/dev/using/. >> The big problem is that there isn't really anywhere in the docs which >> is formally CPython-specific. My preference would be to put it in the >> language reference, as a new chapter (between the current chapters 1 >> and 2) called "Invoking the Python Interpreter". The "Using Python" documentation section could be marked as CPython specific very well. >> You could also make the manpage a new document, called "Invoking >> Python", but it's a bit small to warrant a ful document. >> >> An appendix to the Tutorial is OK, I guess, but personally I never >> think of looking at the tutorial (I've been using Python too long to >> feel that I need a tutorial any more, although the quality of my code >> probably says otherwise :-)) >> > While I hesitate to suggest a change of such magnitude, there's > something to recommend the old IBM mainframe approach of separating out > "Principles of Operation" (which would be the reference manuals, in > Python's case the Language and Library refs) from "Users' Guide" which > contains the practical stuff you need to actually make use of a product. > > I've always found it rather counter-intuitive that you have to go to the > Library Reference manual to find information about Python's built-in > types, for example. I though the whole point of libraries was that they > *aren't* built in, and represent baggage that should only be carried on > necessary trips. You speak my mind. For ages I've wanted to put the builtins together with the language reference into a new document called "Python Core Language". I've just never had the time to draft a serious proposal. > I believe with 3.0 the biggest improvement we could make to the language > for newcomers would be to reorganize our documentation so that things > live in the places they belong rather than the place they landed and got > stuck over time. I fully agree. Georg _______________________________________________ Python-Dev mailing list Python-Dev@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-dev Unsubscribe: http://mail.python.org/mailman/options/python-dev/archive%40mail-archive.com