Path: csiph.com!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!not-for-mail From: William Ray Wing Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Subject: Re: Considering migrating to Python from Visual Basic 6 for engineering applications Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2016 10:59:29 -0500 Lines: 58 Message-ID: References: <90cc50d2-1ce5-4588-9bfd-a49d439f00dd@googlegroups.com> <14c75a68-0d2e-45cc-8d73-0d71b6a6aea6@googlegroups.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 (Mac OS X Mail 9.2 \(3112\)) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: news.uni-berlin.de Io7ZlBi+drGUCz3OWrkvgwNOuwsGVeLY3BBLz+pbTkMg== Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.004 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.99; '*S*': 0.00; 'subject:Python': 0.05; 'desirable.': 0.07; 'executable': 0.07; 'run,': 0.07; 'benjamin': 0.09; 'interpreter,': 0.09; 'subject:Visual': 0.09; 'python': 0.10; 'files.': 0.13; 'output': 0.13; 'subject: \n ': 0.15; '(something': 0.16; '2016': 0.16; 'downside': 0.16; 'example)': 0.16; 'former,': 0.16; 'i\xe2\x80\x99d': 0.16; 'pypi.': 0.16; 'received:10.0.1.5': 0.16; 'received:io': 0.16; 'received:psf.io': 0.16; 'x1,': 0.16; 'x2,': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.16; 'numerical': 0.18; 'received:10.0.1': 0.18; 'input': 0.18; 'variable': 0.18; 'language': 0.19; 'cc:2**0': 0.20; 'extension': 0.20; 'to:2**1': 0.21; 'libraries': 0.22; 'file.': 0.22; 'trying': 0.22; 'am,': 0.23; 'code,': 0.23; 'feb': 0.23; 'slightly': 0.23; 'install': 0.25; 'chris': 0.26; 'packaging': 0.27; 'question': 0.27; 'package.': 0.27; 'received:17': 0.27; 'tend': 0.27; 'correct': 0.28; 'specifically': 0.28; 'arithmetic': 0.29; 'large.': 0.29; 'mind,': 0.29; 'character': 0.29; '(including': 0.30; 'url:mailman': 0.30; 'code': 0.30; 'another': 0.32; "can't": 0.32; 'bill': 0.32; 'compiled': 0.32; 'possibly': 0.32; 'source': 0.33; 'url:python': 0.33; 'wrap': 0.33; 'url:listinfo': 0.34; 'file': 0.34; 'received:10.0': 0.34; 'text': 0.35; 'step': 0.36; 'but': 0.36; 'needed': 0.36; 'there': 0.36; 'url:org': 0.36; 'lines': 0.36; '(and': 0.36; 'basic': 0.36; 'modules': 0.36; 'to:addr :python-list': 0.36; 'subject:: ': 0.37; 'received:10': 0.37; 'two': 0.37; 'being': 0.37; 'things': 0.38; 'doing': 0.38; 'someone': 0.38; 'files': 0.38; 'data': 0.39; 'application': 0.39; 'subject:from': 0.39; 'url:mail': 0.40; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.40; 'some': 0.40; 'easy': 0.60; 'header:MIME-version:1': 0.60; 'your': 0.60; 'hope': 0.61; 'email addr:gmail.com': 0.62; 'show': 0.62; 'programs': 0.62; 'more': 0.63; 'within': 0.64; 'deeply': 0.64; 'wanting': 0.66; 'potentially': 0.67; 'facilities': 0.72; 'commercial': 0.73; 'obvious': 0.76; 'sounds': 0.76; 'extreme,': 0.84; 'header:In-reply-to:1': 0.84; 'oscar': 0.84; 'packing': 0.84; 'to:name:python': 0.84; 'tricky': 0.93 X-Proofpoint-Virus-Version: vendor=fsecure engine=2.50.10432:,, definitions=2016-02-18_07:,, signatures=0 X-Proofpoint-Spam-Details: rule=notspam policy=default score=0 spamscore=0 clxscore=1015 suspectscore=0 malwarescore=0 phishscore=0 adultscore=0 bulkscore=0 classifier=spam adjust=0 reason=mlx scancount=1 engine=8.0.1-1510270003 definitions=main-1602180237 In-reply-to: X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.3112) X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.21rc2 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:103130 > On Feb 18, 2016, at 10:33 AM, wrong.address.1@gmail.com wrote: >=20 > torstai 18. helmikuuta 2016 17.21.32 UTC+2 Oscar Benjamin kirjoitti: >> On 18 February 2016 at 11:32, Chris Angelico = wrote: >>=20 [byte] >> It sounds to me as if all of your needs can be solved in pure Python >> code possibly using some of the popular extension modules from PyPI. >> In this case it's actually very easy to package/install. You can >> package your code simply by zipping it up with a __main__.py file. >> Someone who wants to install it will simply have a two step process: >> first install Python (and possibly a few dependencies) and then = obtain >> the zip file with your code in it. >>=20 >> -- >> Oscar >=20 > This form of packing is not desirable. I can't ask other people to = install Python on their machines, and I also would not want show most of = the code doing the calculations. >=20 Now things get tricky. I can understand you not wanting to force people = to pre-install Python in order for your code to run, but just how deeply = do you want to hide or obfuscate it? Is this potentially a commercial = application to be sold, or are you simply trying to keep things clean = and tidy within various divisions of your company. I=E2=80=99d hope not = the former, because even VB can get you into tricky licensing issues = (and in any case - even fully compiled code in any language these days = can be de-compiled into logically correct source code, although with = less than obvious variable names). At the other extreme, there are = packaging programs (py2exe comes to mind, although I have no experience = with it). These wrap the whole python interpreter, your code, and any = needed libraries into an executable (clickable) package. Their only = downside is that the output packages they produce tend to be large. = However, any sophisticated user who digs into them WILL be able to find = your source code, possibly only slightly obfuscated by being zipped. > Another question I have is regarding reading numerical data from text = files. Is it necessary to read one character at a time, or can one read = like in Fortran and Basic (something like Input #5, X1, X2, X3)? Python can read lines of text or whole blocks of text from source files. = If those files are in more or less well-understood form (csv for = example) it has libraries specifically designed for reading and = extracting data from them (including VERY nice facilities for doing = arithmetic and otherwise manipulating time and date data). Bill > --=20 > https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list