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Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:04:17 +0200
From: Jean-Michel Pichavant <jeanmichel@sequans.com>
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To: snorble <snorble@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Development tools and practices for Pythonistas
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snorble wrote:
> I'm not a Pythonista, but I aspire to be.
>
> My current tools:
>
> Python, gvim, OS file system
>
> My current practices:
>
> When I write a Python app, I have several unorganized scripts in a
> directory (usually with several named test1.py, test2.py, etc., from
> random ideas I have tested), and maybe a todo.txt file. Then I hack
> away, adding features in a semi-random order. Then I get busy with
> other things. Maybe one week I spend 20 hours on development. The next
> week, no time on development. A few weeks later when I have some time,
> I'm excited to get back to making progress, only to find that I have
> to spend 30-60 minutes figuring out where I left off. The code is
> usually out of sync with todo.txt. I see people who release new
> versions and bug fixes, so I sometimes will create a new directory and
> continue working from that copy, because it seems like the thing to
> do. But if I ever made something worth releasing, and got a request
> like, "I have problems with the 2.0 version. Can you send me the old
> 1.1 version?" I'd be like, "uhhh... let me hunt through my files by
> hand and get back to you in a month". I'm thinking I can do a lot
> better than this.
>
> I am aware of tools like version control systems, bug trackers, and
> things like these, but I'm not really sure if I need them, or how to
> use them properly. I think having some organization to all of this
> would help me to make more consistent progress, and spend less time
> bringing myself up to speed after some time off.
>
> I really like the idea of having a list of features, and tackling
> those features one at a time. I read about people who do this, and
> each new features gets a new minor version number. It sounds very
> organized and clean. But I'm not really sure of the best way to
> achieve this. Mainly I think I just need some recommendations to help
> create a good mental map of what needs to happen, and mapping jargon
> to concepts. Like, "each feature gets its own directory". Or with a
> version control tool, I don't know if a feature maps to a branch, or a
> commit?
>
> I appreciate any advice or guidance anyone has to offer.
>   
You can have a look at SVN and bugzilla, they are free SCM & bug tracker 
applications.
Make sure it's worth the pain though, these tools are not that easy to 
administrate (the usage is pretty simple).

JM