questions

[Andy]

Would like to try Python......

Can you use Python to access SQLServer... if so do you have an example.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of Python.?

Is it like vbscript ?
Example code of things that it's good at.... to get me started


Thanks...

[Alan Gauld]

On Wed, 3 Sep 2003 21:22:55 -0500, "Andy"
<Ho*******@Kconline.com> wrote:

Can you use Python to access SQLServer... if so do you have an example.
Yes, look at the DAtabae section of the Python web site for info
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Python.?
Look at the language comparisons section of the Python website
Is it like vbscript ?
Not to look at, but yes in that they are both interpreted and
Python can do most of the things VBSCript can do - plus a lot
more that VBScript can't.
Example code of things that it's good at.... to get me started

Visit the "Useless Python" web site for small sample code
snippets.

Alan G
Author of the Learn to Program website
http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/alan.gauld

[Bruno Desthuilliers]

Andy wrote:

Would like to try Python......

Can you use Python to access SQLServer... if so do you have an example.
yes. For databases, look at the sig-database section of Python's website.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Python.?
Strengths :
- clean, human readable and mostly obvious syntax,
- hi level builtins types (lists, tuples, dictionnaries),
- easy to use but still fully featured OO layer,
- some functional facilities (functions as first class object, higher
order functions, anonymous functions etc),
- strong dynamic typing,
- good modularity (modules, packages, etc),
- rich standard libraries ('batteries included') and third party libraries,
- good choice of GUI toolkits (portable and natives)
- easy to extends in C or C++ or to embed in a C or C++ program,
- real portability (Windows, most unices or unix-likes, MacOS 8, 9 and
X, etc... look at the Python website for the full list of supported
platforms)
- good integration with MS Windows (COM etc...)
- active and friendly user communauty
- very easy to learn
- really powerfull
- and really fun to use

Weaknesses:
- not really fast (but usually fast enough)
- really addictive, so you'll cry when you'll have to use other languages
Is it like vbscript ?
No, it's far better than vbscript. Python is widely used for scripting,
but is still a full blown application programming language.

Example code of things that it's good at.... to get me started

Look at the Python Cookbook and David Mertz's 'Text Processing in
Python', or at the many web developpement frameworks, or at the Zope
application server...

Bruno