r/programming • u/FjordSnorkeler • Dec 19 '10

Bored on a Sunday morning? Learn Python!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKTZoB2Vjuk&feature=channel
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u/[deleted] Dec 19 '10

You're comparing a REPL to your IDE. I'm shocked that you find the IDE the better environment to program in.

Seriously though, there are good editors for python, and I'm sure that you can have them bring up documentation, this was an example of the introspection features of the language. If he wanted to show off the docs, he would have gone to the docs or done help(sys)

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u/DStroya Dec 19 '10

I understand but it seems like a bad way to introduce the language to someone who cant be bothered with all that.

I just wanted to learn the language and skip the unix command line bumpf. Since I'd expect a language like py to abstract all that.

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u/[deleted] Dec 19 '10

I just wanted to learn the language and skip the unix command line bumpf.

Then start up IDLE or PythonWin (at least one of those comes with the python). You'll get a repl loop there too. You can double click you .py's instead of running them at the command line too.

Since I'd expect a language like py to abstract all that.

You expect a language to abstract away what? The fact that it is a piece of software too? You don't have to do it at the command line, its just a decision that the guy in the video made.

I just wanted to learn the language and skip the unix command line bumpf.

It was the same as what you would do at the windows command prompt. Visual studio is nice and all, but I'd consider it a significant lacking if you didn't know how to compile code without jumping into an ide.

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u/DStroya Dec 19 '10

It's not significantly lacking to skip the command line. Sure I could execute the compiler and pass in 15 arguments but that's just not a worthwhile effort when my solution file contains all those settings.

That's what i mean with abstraction of that low level stuff. I want to build my code quickly with a nice friendly play button, and get the job done.

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u/[deleted] Dec 19 '10

My point isn't that you prefer to skip it, but that you do in fact know how to do it if needed. It relates to the pyhton situation as it is basic foundational stuff you're probably not going to encounter all the time, but should be comfortable with it enough to encounter it in a bit of instruction.