Python Documentation Index

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essays (anything from 500 to 5000 words) on various Python subjects. See also a collection of <a class="reference external" href="http://legacy.python.org/doc/essays/ppt/">presentations</a> I have given. See also my <a class="reference external" href="http://neopythonic.blogspot.com/">blog</a> at blogspot.com and my <a class="reference external" href="http://www.artima.com/weblogs/index.jsp?blogger=guido">previous blog</a> at artima.com.</p> <p>--<a class="reference external" href="http://www.python.org/~guido/">Guido van Rossum</a></p> </div> <div class="section" id="table-of-contents-in-mostly-chronological-order"> <h1>Table of contents (in mostly chronological order)</h1> <ul> <li><p class="first">Unifying types and classes in Python 2.2</p> <p><a class="reference external" href="#descrintro">(See below)</a></p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="/doc/essays/foreword/">Foreword for "Programming Python" (1st ed.)</a></p> <p>Written in 1996, this gives an overview of the early history and background of Python and some of my philosophy about software design and project management. See also my <a class="reference external" href="/doc/essays/foreword2/">foreword to the 2nd edition</a>.</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="/doc/essays/graphs/">Implementing Graphs</a></p> <p>An elegant and perhaps not obvious way to represent graphs using Python's most fundamental and versatile data types, lists and dictionaries.</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="/doc/essays/list2str/">An Optimization Anecdote</a></p> <p>Required reading if you find that your Python code runs too slow.</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="/doc/essays/metaclasses/">Metaclass Programming in Python 1.5</a></p> <p>Warning: reading this document may cause your brain to explode.</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="/doc/essays/packages/">Built-in Package Support in Python 1.5</a></p> <p>The most official documentation for the new package features in Python 1.5.</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="/doc/essays/stdexceptions/">Standard Exception Classes in Python 1.5</a></p> <p>The most official documentation for the new exception features in Python 1.5. (Updated for Python 1.5.2 by Barry Warsaw.)</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="/doc/essays/omg-darpa-mcc-position/">Glue It All Together With Python</a></p> <p>A position paper I wrote for and presented at the <a class="reference external" href="http://www.objs.com/workshops/ws9801/report.html">OMG-DARPA-MCC workshop on compositional software architectures</a> in Monterey, California, January 6-8, 1998.</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="/doc/essays/blurb/">What Is Python? Executive Summary</a></p> <p>A short (two paragraphs) high-level presentation of Python's virtues.</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="/doc/essays/comparisons/">Comparing Python to Other Languages</a></p> <p>Activist ammo or flame fodder? (Note: I received lots of feedback when I posted this to comp.lang.python. Unfortunately the feedback was diverted to a separate mailbox that I didn't know I had -- when I finally found it, I was a bit overwhelmed and so far have not yet found the time to update the article.)</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="/doc/essays/cleanup/">Proposed Improvements to Module Cleanup</a></p> <p>A revised version of the proposal I posted to comp.lang.python on Feb 6, 1998. This has been adopted in Python 1.5.1.</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="http://linuxgazette.net/issue28/rossum.html">Open Source Summit Trip Report</a></p> <p>My trip report of O'Reilly's Open Source Summit, essentially as posted on c.l.p. This version published in the Linux Gazette (it's an external link), in their May 1998 issue.</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="/doc/essays/refcnt/">Debugging Reference Count Problems</a></p> <p>An edited version of a posting to c.l.p on this subject, on May 27, 1998.</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="/doc/essays/everybody/">Computer Programming for Everybody (old)</a></p> <p>A funding proposal that was accepted by DARPA in March 1999.</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="/doc/essays/cp4e/">Computer Programming for Everybody</a></p> <p>Revised, extended version of the previous proposal.</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=5028">Interview in Linux Journal</a></p> <p>Not quite an essay, but a stream of consciousness penned down by a journalist... More thoughts about CP4E.</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="http://www.oreilly.com/frank/rossum_1099.html">Interview in by Frank Willison for "Frankly Speaking" column</a></p> <p>Another stream of consciousness transcribed by a friendly listener... Not just on CP4E.</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="/doc/essays/foreword2/">Foreword for "Programming Python" (2nd ed.)</a></p> <p>The story continues...</p> </li> </ul> <ul id="descrintro"> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="/download/releases/2.2/descrintro">Unifying types and classes in Python 2.2</a></p> <p>An introduction to the type/class unification effort in Python 2.2. Note that the unification work is officially labeled <em>experimental</em> and is subject to change in future releases of Python.</p> </li> <li><p class="first"><a class="reference external" href="/doc/essays/pepparade/">Parade of the PEPs</a></p> <p>To start off Developer's Day at the <a class="reference external" href="http://legacy.python.org/workshops/2002-02/">Python10 conference</a> I gave a keynote ending in what I dubbed "the parade of the PEPs". It was a brief overview of <a class="reference external" href="http://legacy.python.org/dev/peps/">all open PEPs</a>, where I gave my highly personal and subjective opinion for each PEP. Later, I realized that this might have been of interest to other developers. I didn't take notes at the conference, so below is a different set of comments that I created from scratch during a single two-hour sitting on March 7, 2002. 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