Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!aioe.org!news.stack.nl!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed1.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!news.tele.dk!news.tele.dk!small.news.tele.dk!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.013 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.97; '*S*': 0.00; 'subject:Python': 0.05; 'beginner': 0.05; 'overflow': 0.07; 'works.': 0.07; 'python': 0.09; 'answering': 0.09; 'language,': 0.11; 'stack': 0.15; 'imposing': 0.16; 'intended,': 0.16; 'python-list,': 0.16; 'scratch': 0.16; 'sense,': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.17; '(in': 0.18; 'module': 0.19; 'discussion': 0.20; 'causing': 0.20; "i'd": 0.22; "python's": 0.23; 'least': 0.25; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.25; 'wrote': 0.26; 'possibly': 0.27; 'question': 0.27; 'message- id:@mail.gmail.com': 0.27; 'post': 0.28; "d'aprano": 0.29; 'existence': 0.29; 'link,': 0.29; 'questions.': 0.29; 'steven': 0.29; 'unlikely': 0.29; 'case,': 0.29; "i'm": 0.29; 'maybe': 0.29; 'usually': 0.30; 'stuff': 0.30; 'sense': 0.31; '(and': 0.32; 'good.': 0.32; 'docs': 0.33; 'point,': 0.33; 'to:addr:python- list': 0.33; 'that,': 0.34; "can't": 0.34; 'agree': 0.34; 'received:google.com': 0.34; 'list': 0.35; 'community': 0.35; 'sometimes': 0.35; 'subject:?': 0.35; 'there': 0.35; 'but': 0.36; 'should': 0.36; 'bad': 0.37; 'quite': 0.37; 'subject:: ': 0.38; 'page': 0.38; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'little': 0.39; 'end': 0.40; 'think': 0.40; 'easy': 0.60; 'first': 0.61; 'provide': 0.62; 'information': 0.63; 'here': 0.65; 'hang': 0.65; '2013': 0.84; 'entertaining': 0.84; 'mmorpg': 0.84; 'suggests.': 0.84; 'subject:you': 0.88; 'habit': 0.91; 'poorly': 0.93 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=x-received:mime-version:sender:x-originating-ip:in-reply-to :references:from:date:x-google-sender-auth:message-id:subject:to :content-type; bh=mLxI355Q7jYhHMDaGxzswGgDYMSXwvT45QbZFAPDLmM=; b=lxoSaoq7ySIoz22X3RnX/gw6OJChoKPH48opt+N9/pcy1Dk05hVY/6lc016TWkRhrU op1Li4zAy/tnoYwb4VznfADs7eLWsZsmmVv+uOFBoshrCY5VTVFAIe1uKWh0EBZ0ZArF P1tlwbrE2EoK9US5DpvKFHSRWRP9NavztwhGSGb8DHHFhe7PxN5Lb6HwLFIj6MLCd/CC EbZWCR2FNlYEFndXbJTweLiesgcoefIPzu2R8NTpmx406evo/2sxDQGoDcSF0JbUzEDC fWEzIpZ5XuILwj42xzjDs7YkwyWTURSfFty36r9lP7dkNJomy9XSOrCHZVpZfNEc9Mlg mH4Q== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=google.com; s=20120113; h=x-received:mime-version:sender:x-originating-ip:in-reply-to :references:from:date:x-google-sender-auth:message-id:subject:to :content-type:x-gm-message-state; bh=mLxI355Q7jYhHMDaGxzswGgDYMSXwvT45QbZFAPDLmM=; b=jMJ5KHFiItxz3h2bBggsas/zaO2uJ3+OTbBnhn3DIwolfeK5drV82O/MRJYQVnuSsF L7INeJsVkVoQFmpS1ex65m+nyMf0GS8Ou/zMp1kT+xYKmvANe0ny2DpwXfKYxnM2f4BY dloHrWcHT9T467tJynt79BnLD7EgptMasgwgez3/KHIs3dNtmVJGl2n24dNiVVUehDM8 V6OhyDxHWP+qNttGrotvmCGHM5o+nQAaJUE8x5t7LG1sBWwpbDrtxyUBvMi1OIlhnBTm yfYMJPEs2zdAYXqGA0UlWA2JCcqyJqKnFBx4r1iTp0nr8D7q1j9QU4xRBhFYCaDVbCWE 3gNg== X-Received: by 10.194.11.70 with SMTP id o6mr16317125wjb.39.1361888141089; Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:15:41 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 Sender: z@etiol.net X-Originating-IP: [190.104.26.20] In-Reply-To: <512cb0a0$0$30001$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> References: <512cb0a0$0$30001$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> From: Zero Piraeus Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2013 10:15:21 -0400 X-Google-Sender-Auth: l5Fpj4363m23htdZTu2QsvpxAMw Subject: Re: Do you feel bad because of the Python docs? To: python-list@python.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 X-Gm-Message-State: ALoCoQm/pl/ZUR/ooHwDoa/o0q8LFxt7zYnzcLv3z3eyn9VNUMcjGfbX2xgOu6Sslh0KqBscpzGy X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 41 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1361888143 news.xs4all.nl 6856 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:57201 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:39950 : On 26 February 2013 08:54, Steven D'Aprano wrote: > One week ago, "JoePie91" wrote a blog post challenging the Python > community and the state of Python documentation [...] > [...] should we feel bad about Python's docs? The Python docs are my first port of call when I know the module (and maybe the function) I want to use, but can't remember exactly how it works. For that, and for me, they're very good. I can also usually find the section I want if I'm answering a beginner question on Stack Overflow and want to provide an explanatory link, but if I weren't already familiar with the docs, I think it's quite unlikely I'd find the relevant page easily. I agree with joepie91 that the information on fundamental stuff is poorly organised. > I don't think that either the Python documentation > or community is as bad as JoePie91 suggests. I think he has a point, albeit exaggerated, regarding the community - or at least python-list, which is the part with which I'm familiar. This list can be a little imposing for beginners, and its habit of veering away from the original question into an esoteric discussion of the language, while entertaining and educational to read for *me*, might well end up causing OP to scratch their head. I don't think it's intended, but sometimes there's also the sense that regulars here are trying, not entirely successfully, to hide their impatience with simple questions. I don't hang out at python-tutor, so maybe it's better there (in which case, maybe its existence needs to be better advertised). I think Stack Overflow is a little better at that, possibly because the rep system there encourages "grinding" in the MMORPG sense, and easy questions get a bunch of people piling on with answers almost instantaneously. -[]z.