This is for lionb who hates religion topics.

What is your favorite programming language and/or programming tool/package/library/language feature? Put simply, what do you enjoy using when you are programming? Do you have any pet projects you're tinkering with?

My favorite language is Python. There are tons of modules available for it, many of which are simply amazing. PIL (image manipulation), cx_Oracle (Oracle database connectivity), ReportLab (PDF generation), pyRXP (XML to Python native datatype converter) are among my favorites to work with.

Some of the best features of Python, IMO, are dynamic introspection (looking up members/methods at runtime), iterators (make any class act as an array in a "for each" style loop), and generators (make any class act as an iterator where the elements aren't generated until they are needed).

I really like the look of the Eclipse IDE from IBM, but the plugins available for Python are in very minimal early stages right now.

I've been hacking a module together in Python for working with Oracle databases. It uses cx_Oracle (mentioned above) for connections and cursors and that, but adds flexibility and object-oriented syntax to data manipulation. It uses the features I mentioned above to, for example, look up table names at runtime when they are referred to. Let's say my Oracle database has a table named EMPLOYEES in a schema named HR. You could get all the employee data like this using my module:

>>> import ORADB
>>> db = ORADB.Database("userid/password@database")
>>> for employee in db.hr.employees:
...     print employee.id, employee.last_name + ', ' + employee.first_name

That's it! The module knows nothing about the database structure until you ask for things using dot-notation.


infidel

I have mostly worked in scripting languages like vbscript and I feel
it is good enough.Not much passionate about it,maybe because it is my nature to be so.

I like C , loved teaching it on Linux . But didn't get a chance to work in any meaningful project. So it is sort of lost now.

I am amazed by the passion Infidel have for Python.It must be a nice feeling .
Flakes

: I have mostly worked in scripting languages like vbscript and I feel
: it is good enough.Not much passionate about it,maybe because it is my nature to be so.
:
: I like C , loved teaching it on Linux . But didn't get a chance to work in any meaningful project. So it is sort of lost now.
:
: I am amazed by the passion Infidel have for Python.It must be a nice feeling .
: Flakes
:

This may sound sad. but I used to really enjoy COBOL more than anything when I was studdying. You could waste days and days.. typing as fast as Jessica Feltcher. Mess about with the ASCII codes to make some crap interface look remotly fancy. It didn't matter the monitor colour was either orange or green. Yes, I used to love using the older kit..it did not matter to me if MS Word 2.0 was on not on it. I could dos word perfect to type up my notes.

It was better then, before plug and prey. When you had work out the IRQ for device drivers. These days its all too easy. The development tools we use are making things too easy... Such as FSO and other libs.

For me. I dont want to go on no course where some fool is using drop on ADO.NET controls to teach people. Give me the book and I will read through it. If I dont understand then search Google. If that fails ask at a place like the VB board.

: This is for lionb who hates religion topics.
:
: What is your favorite programming language and/or programming tool/package/library/language feature? Put simply, what do you enjoy using when you are programming? Do you have any pet projects you're tinkering with?
:
: My favorite language is Python. There are tons of modules available for it, many of which are simply amazing. PIL (image manipulation), cx_Oracle (Oracle database connectivity), ReportLab (PDF generation), pyRXP (XML to Python native datatype converter) are among my favorites to work with.
:
: Some of the best features of Python, IMO, are dynamic introspection (looking up members/methods at runtime), iterators (make any class act as an array in a "for each" style loop), and generators (make any class act as an iterator where the elements aren't generated until they are needed).
:
: I really like the look of the Eclipse IDE from IBM, but the plugins available for Python are in very minimal early stages right now.
:
: I've been hacking a module together in Python for working with Oracle databases. It uses cx_Oracle (mentioned above) for connections and cursors and that, but adds flexibility and object-oriented syntax to data manipulation. It uses the features I mentioned above to, for example, look up table names at runtime when they are referred to. Let's say my Oracle database has a table named EMPLOYEES in a schema named HR. You could get all the employee data like this using my module:
:
:

: >>> import ORADB
: >>> db = ORADB.Database("userid/password@database")
: >>> for employee in db.hr.employees:
: ...     print employee.id, employee.last_name + ', ' + employee.first_name
: 

:
: That's it! The module knows nothing about the database structure until you ask for things using dot-notation.
:
:
: infidel
:
I do not hate religious topic. I just found debates between religious and none religious/atheists/nonetheist people quite borring, useless and endless.
About Programming languages. I like something about Powerbuilder and VB. Powerbuilder as real OO language is very powerful to work with databases and unfortunately very weak and unstable (to many unpredictable errors espacially versions 6.5 and 7) to do other stuff. I think the combination of those two languages will be perfect for business programmers. There is some theoretical posibilities(you can call ActiveX created in VB from PB application) to combine VB and Powerbuilder but in real life it's not that easy and very painfull.

: What is your favorite programming language and/or programming
: tool/package/library/language feature? Put simply, what do you enjoy
: using when you are programming?
Perl is my favorite programming languages. I love the syntax, the way it looks, the fact that pattern matches are important enough to warrant an operator of their own and moreover the community. Perl libraries I like include DBI (OO database access), Image::Magick (lets you do a stack of cool stuff with images) and the LWP modules (let you grab stuff off the web). But there are so many out there on CPAN, it's incredible.

Favorite tool...hmmmm....I'm honestly not sure when it comes to Perl 'cus I write it in a plain text editor or my own home made syntax highlighter. When I'm writing C#.NET, I rate SharpDevelop very highly. It's open source, does syntax highlighting, auto-complete and more.

: Do you have any pet projects you're tinkering with?
My differentiation engine in Perl. Needs a complete rewrite, mind!
http://www.jwcs.net/~jonathan/perl/Calculus.pm.txt

:

: >>> import ORADB
: >>> db = ORADB.Database("userid/password@database")
: >>> for employee in db.hr.employees:
: ...     print employee.id, employee.last_name + ', ' + employee.first_name
: 

:
: That's it! The module knows nothing about the database structure
: until you ask for things using dot-notation.
That's cool! I've been thinking of doing a similar thing in Perl, but using tied variables to make up a data structure. Chances are it's already been done, mind!

Jonathan

###
for(74,117,115,116){$::a.=chr};(($_.='qwertyui')&&
(tr/yuiqwert/her anot/))for($::b);for($::c){$_.=$^X;
/(p.{2}l)/;$_=$1}$::b=~/(..)$/;print("$::a$::b $::c hack$1.");

This message was edited by Moderator at 2003-8-20 6:28:54

---

: : What is your favorite programming language and/or programming
: : tool/package/library/language feature? Put simply, what do you enjoy
: : using when you are programming?
: Perl is my favorite programming languages. I love the syntax, the way it looks, the fact that pattern matches are important enough to warrant an operator of their own and moreover the community. Perl libraries I like include DBI (OO database access), Image::Magick (lets you do a stack of cool stuff with images) and the LWP modules (let you grab stuff off the web). But there are so many out there on CPAN, it's incredible.
:
: Favorite tool...hmmmm....I'm honestly not sure when it comes to Perl 'cus I write it in a plain text editor or my own home made syntax highlighter. When I'm writing C#.NET, I rate SharpDevelop very highly. It's open source, does syntax highlighting, auto-complete and more.
:
: : Do you have any pet projects you're tinkering with?
: My differentiation engine in Perl. Needs a complete rewrite, mind!
: http://www.jwcs.net/~jonathan/perl/Calculus.pm.txt

yeah.. I just use notepad sometimes to write functions.. paste it in later and debug.


# Let's be strict in here. made me smile. I found some comments in code that I wrote a few years ago at work to fix some billing for a client. I remember how angry it I was because the whole thing had been caused becauase of someone here tried to cheat a customer... i had to recalculate a years worth of billing. to make it worse the client realised they wanted a load of extra deatails... and it was a nightmare. Anyway.. my comments were.

'leeos 30/10/01

'this routine is to finally write the file out.
'Basically [company withheld] were asking for way to much
'someone there is so fcking bone idle its unreal.
'i should get a percentage of their salary .  maybe 70% is fair
'so we had to do this sh!t...
'finally got to this stage...even with [name withheld] whailing in my ear

:
: :

: : >>> import ORADB
: : >>> db = ORADB.Database("userid/password@database")
: : >>> for employee in db.hr.employees:
: : ...     print employee.id, employee.last_name + ', ' + employee.first_name
: : 

: :
: : That's it! The module knows nothing about the database structure
: : until you ask for things using dot-notation.
: That's cool! I've been thinking of doing a similar thing in Perl, but using tied variables to make up a data structure. Chances are it's already been done, mind!
:
: Jonathan
:
: ###
: for(74,117,115,116){$::a.=chr};(($_.='qwertyui')&&
: (tr/yuiqwert/her anot/))for($::b);for($::c){$_.=$^X;
: /(p.{2}l)/;$_=$1}$::b=~/(..)$/;print("$::a$::b $::c hack$1.");
:
: