As you learn Python, the Internet will serve as an invaluable resource. This appendix describes some of the web sites that may be of interest to you as you are starting out. If you are looking for something Python-related that isn’t described here, I suggest that you first check the official Python web site (http://python.org), and then use your favorite web search engine, or the other way around. There is a lot of information about Python online; chances are you’ll find something. If you don’t, you can always try comp.lang.python (described in this appendix). If you’re an IRC user (see http://irchelp.org for information), you might want to check out the #python channel on irc.freenode.net.

Python Distributions

Several Python distributions are available. Here are some of the more prominent ones:

Official Python distribution (http://python.org/download): This comes with a default integrated development environment called IDLE (for more information, see http://docs.python.org/lib/idle.html).

ActivePython (http://activestate.com): This is ActiveState’s Python distribution, which includes several nonstandard packages in addition to the official distribution. This is also the home of Visual Python, a Python plug-in for Visual Studio .NET.

Jython (http://www.jython.org): Jython is the Java implementation of Python.

IronPython (http://www.codeplex.com/Wiki/View.aspx?ProjectName=IronPython): IronPython is the C# implementation of Python.

MacPython (http://homepages.cwi.nl/˜jack/macpython/index.html): MacPython is the Macintosh port of Python for older versions of Mac OS. The new Mac version can be found on the main Python site (http://python.org). You can also get Python through MacPorts (http://macports.org).

pywin32 (http://sf.net/projects/pywin32/): These are the Python for Windows extensions. If you have ActivePython installed, you already have all these extensions.

Python Documentation

Answers to most of your Python questions are most likely somewhere on the python.org web site. The documentation can be found at http://python.org/doc, with the following subdivisions:

Python Tutorial (http://python.org/doc/tut): This is a relatively simple introduction to the language.

Python Reference Manual (http://python.org/doc/ref): This document contains a precise definition of the Python language. It may not be the place to start when learning Python, but it contains precise answers to most questions you might have about the language.

Python Library Reference (http://python.org/doc/lib): This is probably the most useful piece of Python documentation you’ll ever find. It describes all (or most) of the modules in the standard Python library. If you are wondering how to solve a problem in Python, this should be the first place you look—perhaps the solution already exists in the libraries.

Extending and Embedding the Python Interpreter (http://python.org/doc/ext): This is a document that describes how to write Python extension modules in the C language, and how to use the Python interpreter as a part of larger C programs. (Python itself is implemented in C.)

Macintosh Library Modules (http://python.org/doc/mac): This document describes functionality specific to the Macintosh port of Python.

Python/C API Reference Manual (http://python.org/doc/api): This is a rather technical document describing the details of the Python/C application programming interface (API), which enables C programs to interface with the Python interpreter.

Two other useful documentation resources are Python Documentation Online (http://pydoc.org) and pyhelp.cgi (http://starship.python.net/crew/theller/pyhelp.cgi), which allow you to search the standard Python documentation. If you want some “recipes” and solutions provided by the Python community, the Python Cookbook (http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Python/Cookbook) is a good place to look.

The future of Python is decided by the language’s Benevolent Dictator For Life (BDFL), Guido van Rossum, but his decisions are guided and informed by so-called Python Enhancement Proposals, which may be accessed at http://python.org/dev/peps. Various HOWTO documents (relatively specific tutorials) can be found at http://python.org/doc/howto.

Useful Toolkits and Modules

One source for finding software implemented in Python (including useful toolkits and modules you can use in your own programs) is the Vaults of Parnassus (http://www.vex.net/parnassus); another is the Python Package Index (http://pypi.python.org/pypi). If you can’t find what you’re looking for on either of these sites, try a standard web search, or perhaps take a look at freshmeat (http://freshmeat.net) or SourceForge (http://sf.net).

Table C-1 lists the URLs of some of the most well-known GUI toolkits available for Python. For a more thorough description, see Chapter 12. Table C-2 lists the URLs of the third-party packages used in the ten projects (Chapters 20–29).

Table C-1. Some Well-Known GUI Toolkits for Python

Table C-2. The Third-Party Modules Used in This Book’s Ten Projects

Newsgroups, Mailing Lists, and Blogs

An important forum for Python discussion is the Usenet group comp.lang.python. If you’re serious about Python, skimming this group regularly can be quite useful. Its companion group, comp.lang.python.announce, contains announcements about new Python software (including new Python distributions, Python extensions, and software written using Python).

Several official mailing lists are available. For instance, the comp.lang.python group is mirrored in the [email protected] mailing list. If you have a Python problem and need help, simply send an email to [email protected] (assuming that you’ve exhausted all other options, of course). For learning about programming in Python, the tutor list ([email protected]) may be useful. For information about how to join these (and other) mailing lists, see http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo.

A couple of useful blogs are Unofficial Planet Python (http://planetpython.org) and The Daily Python-URL (http://pythonware.com/daily).