Comments on: Python http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/08/python/ Sat, 20 Apr 2013 10:44:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: John http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/08/python/#comment-72203 John Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:01:44 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7442#comment-72203 I had the same problem - finding good python resources. But I fought my way through it and have quite a few self-written sample programs I would be happy to zip up and send you. I had the same problem – finding good python resources. But I fought my way through it and have quite a few self-written sample programs I would be happy to zip up and send you.

]]> By: Phillip Helbig http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/08/python/#comment-72202 Phillip Helbig Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:29:45 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7442#comment-72202 <I>"Fortran was your previous “language of choice”? Good heavens. That language scares the bejezus out of me."</I> Have you ever actually used it? “Fortran was your previous “language of choice”? Good heavens. That language scares the bejezus out of me.”

Have you ever actually used it?

]]> By: Deepak Vaid http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/08/python/#comment-72201 Deepak Vaid Sat, 08 Oct 2011 16:44:16 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7442#comment-72201 Dear Sean, Fortran was your previous "language of choice"? Good heavens. That language scares the bejezus out of me. About Python. The problem with Python is that there are so many versions 2.5, 2.6, 2.7 and now 3.x. And having installed a version you have to install all the modules for that version all over again. Then when you've gone through all that you find that one module doesn't work with the Python version you installed, so you start all over again with a different version ... Enthought's Python Distribution (built around Python 2.7) (EPD) - which is free for academic use, btw (!) - has solved these problems for me. It contains every toolset the modern physicist could need. All of Scipy, Numpy, IDLE, Mayavi, you-name-it, EPD has it. You'll probably need to install OpenGL and PyQt4 separately if you want to do some serious graphics programming. OpenGL is straightforward enough. PyQt4 is extremely tedious but straightforward to install. But its worth the effort. You're left with the Python bindings for Nokia's Qt api which is far superior to wxWidgets and other alternatives for building GUI apps. EPD + PyQt4 + OpenGL rocks! Good luck on your Python adventures, Deepak Dear Sean,

Fortran was your previous “language of choice”? Good heavens. That language scares the bejezus out of me.

About Python. The problem with Python is that there are so many versions 2.5, 2.6, 2.7 and now 3.x. And having installed a version you have to install all the modules for that version all over again. Then when you’ve gone through all that you find that one module doesn’t work with the Python version you installed, so you start all over again with a different version …

Enthought’s Python Distribution (built around Python 2.7) (EPD) – which is free for academic use, btw (!) – has solved these problems for me. It contains every toolset the modern physicist could need. All of Scipy, Numpy, IDLE, Mayavi, you-name-it, EPD has it.

You’ll probably need to install OpenGL and PyQt4 separately if you want to do some serious graphics programming. OpenGL is straightforward enough. PyQt4 is extremely tedious but straightforward to install. But its worth the effort. You’re left with the Python bindings for Nokia’s Qt api which is far superior to wxWidgets and other alternatives for building GUI apps. EPD + PyQt4 + OpenGL rocks!

Good luck on your Python adventures,

Deepak

]]> By: Dana Nourie http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/08/python/#comment-72200 Dana Nourie Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:19:19 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7442#comment-72200 Sean, Python is excellent, and scientists use it a lot. If you Google python applications, you will get lots and lots of app written by scientists. Ruby is also great, as well as Ruby on Rails for those who want to do web development. By and far the best and funniest programming book ever is Poignant Guide to Ruby: http://mislav.uniqpath.com/poignant-guide/book/ Read some of it even if you have no interest in Ruby programming. It's hilarious and a great model for making tech material fun! Plus, it's free! Dana Sean,

Python is excellent, and scientists use it a lot. If you Google python applications, you will get lots and lots of app written by scientists.

Ruby is also great, as well as Ruby on Rails for those who want to do web development.

By and far the best and funniest programming book ever is Poignant Guide to Ruby:
http://mislav.uniqpath.com/poignant-guide/book/

Read some of it even if you have no interest in Ruby programming. It’s hilarious and a great model for making tech material fun! Plus, it’s free!

Dana

]]> By: Phillip Helbig http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/08/python/#comment-72199 Phillip Helbig Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:50:03 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7442#comment-72199 Fortran (the current standard is Fortran 2008) is still there and is great for number crunching and graphics. Don't give up on it. Fortran (the current standard is Fortran 2008) is still there and is great for number crunching and graphics. Don’t give up on it.

]]> By: Ben Shoemate http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/08/python/#comment-72198 Ben Shoemate Sun, 18 Sep 2011 17:06:09 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7442#comment-72198 I would also recommend Javascript. Combined with html and css (which you must already work with a little on this blog) you can do just about anything and have it ready to share online. Make sure you look at jQuery (a javascript set of functions for doing some fancy stuff and making basic stuff easy). Javascript, as one of the languages of the web, is by far the most well documented (since the internet is very vain and loves to talk about itself - it's self documenting). I would also recommend Javascript. Combined with html and css (which you must already work with a little on this blog) you can do just about anything and have it ready to share online. Make sure you look at jQuery (a javascript set of functions for doing some fancy stuff and making basic stuff easy). Javascript, as one of the languages of the web, is by far the most well documented (since the internet is very vain and loves to talk about itself – it’s self documenting).

]]> By: Earl Flask http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/08/python/#comment-72197 Earl Flask Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:52:04 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7442#comment-72197 Python is a good way to go. Here is a crazy thought. For something completely different there is Javascript. The advantage to that is that you could easily publish Javascript programs on web browsers. However, Javascript environments are probably harder to work with than Python. Someone else may point you to tools that allow you to publish Python scripts onto browsers too. Python is a good way to go. Here is a crazy thought. For something completely different there is Javascript. The advantage to that is that you could easily publish Javascript programs on web browsers. However, Javascript environments are probably harder to work with than Python.

Someone else may point you to tools that allow you to publish Python scripts onto browsers too.

]]> By: Earl http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/08/python/#comment-72196 Earl Tue, 13 Sep 2011 01:20:21 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7442#comment-72196 Have you considered MATLAB? Most valuable tool I've ever used in 40 years of engineering analysis. Have you considered MATLAB? Most valuable tool I’ve ever used in 40 years of engineering analysis.

]]> By: Anne http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/08/python/#comment-72195 Anne Mon, 12 Sep 2011 20:47:00 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7442#comment-72195 I'm an observational astronomer, but we use python all the time, for everything from scripting massive pulsar survey processing jobs to analyzing X-ray observations to simulating pulsar timing noise. I've got a blog where from time to time I do a sort of "<a href="http://lighthouseinthesky.blogspot.com/search/label/python" rel="nofollow">worked example</a>" of solving some (usually) astrophysical problem with python, that you might find useful as a more apropos example. I’m an observational astronomer, but we use python all the time, for everything from scripting massive pulsar survey processing jobs to analyzing X-ray observations to simulating pulsar timing noise. I’ve got a blog where from time to time I do a sort of “worked example” of solving some (usually) astrophysical problem with python, that you might find useful as a more apropos example.

]]> By: Limits http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/08/python/#comment-72194 Limits Sun, 11 Sep 2011 12:56:00 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7442#comment-72194 The real question is how much programming and processing you need to perform for the task at hand. http://nosingularity.blogspot.com/2011/09/riduculousness-of-processing-and.html The real question is how much programming and processing you need to perform for the task at hand.

http://nosingularity.blogspot.com/2011/09/riduculousness-of-processing-and.html

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