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To: python-list@python.org
From: Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Pipes
Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2015 22:59:48 +0100
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On 10/08/2015 21:43, E.D.G. wrote:
> <rogerh906@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:d6a3dfe4-8389-463b-ac66-a93f14a91a5e@googlegroups.com...
>> Just learning Python and have a question.

>        Other important resources would be the ability to perform rapid
> calculations and the ability to generate plots that could display on the
> screen and also be saved as .png files etc.

numpy and matplotlib are the leaders here.

>
>        The language also has to have the ability to be "cloned."  That
> means that it could be stored in some directory that could be copied
> from one computer to another.  And programs written with that language
> would then run on the new computer.  One person responding to my own
> earlier post stated that this is possible with Python.

Certainly.  In your position I think the easiest option is to have 
Python installed on all your machines and simply copy your programs aka 
scripts from machine to machine.  I suppose it all depends on how easy 
it is to bribe your admin people!!!

>
>        Python apparently also provides all of the necessary resources.
> And as all of these posts demonstrate, it has the major advantage in
> that when a question gets asked in the Python newsgroup, there is
> usually an answer.

No "usually" about it :)

>        I needed a program that could generate data regarding the
> locations of the sun and the moon in the sky in response to specific
> times entered. Roger developed the basic equations with some help from
> another researcher. And that took a while.  But it probably took a full
> six months for us to compare notes by E-mail and get the program into a
> final form that people could download for free use.
> That is just too much time.  Researchers need to be able to do
> things such as create simple charts etc. without spending months or
> years learning some programming language or comparing notes with one
> another.  So, an entire Python directory that made that possible and
> that had clear instructions for how to open and close files and create
> "pipes" etc. would get the job done.

http://ipython.org/notebook.html could be what you're looking for here, 
both for your collaboration rather than comparing notes by email, and 
for actually producing your output.

>
>        If Roger wants to use Python then we might use the ActiveState
> version and then build those various resources into it.  It reportedly
> installs in a Windows environment without problems.  And I myself have
> used the ActiveState versions of Perl for quite a few years with a
> considerable amount of success.
>
>        This assumes that the ActiveState version of Python can be taught
> to do fast calculations and to generate charts.  If that does not look
> possible or easy then we will probably try one of the available
> scientific versions of Python.

Anaconda always comes up in this area, with numpy, ipython and 
matplotlib included in the distibution, see 
http://docs.continuum.io/anaconda/index

>
>        Would researchers then put professional Python programmers "out
> of business?"

No, they'll work perfectly happily side by side.

If you're not already aware then scipy http://www.scipy.org/ should be 
pointed out, as well as pypi https://pypi.python.org/pypi which 
currently holds 64383 packages.  Heck, I almost forgot pythonlibs 
http://www.lfd.uci.edu/~gohlke/pythonlibs/ which is a godsend if you 
haven't got Visual Studio and don't want to install it.

-- 
My fellow Pythonistas, ask not what our language can do for you, ask
what you can do for our language.

Mark Lawrence