visualpython-users

[Visualpython-users] VPython for Python 2.2

[Bruce S. <ba...@an...>]

At vpython.org is a new Windows VPython to go with the beta version of 
Python 2.2 (final release scheduled for Dec. 19).

This has new mouse machinery; see the on-line documentation. Though I've 
played with it quite a bit, feedback may lead to changes. It does maintain 
the old meaning of getclick(), so I think old programs should continue to 
work as before.

Thanks to work by Ari Heitner and David Andersen there is also machinery 
for reading the keyboard, but no documentation yet: the basic element is 
scene.kb.getkey() which gives you a character string suitable for printing.

Bruce Sherwood

[Visualpython-users] VPython for Python 2.2

[Bruce S. <ba...@an...>]

Today the final version of Python 2.2 was released. At vpython.org this is 
now the version supported for Windows, and we are working on bringing the 
Linux and Mac versions up to speed.

The new Windows version includes the new mouse and keyboard machinery (see 
the documentation), and zooming is now done with the middle button, making 
it possible to write programs which drag with the left button. (On the 
2-button mouse, the middle button is expressed by pressing both left and 
right buttons; on a 1-button mouse the middle button is expressed by 
holding down the CTRL key while holding the mouse button down.)

With the new version is a revised suite of demo programs that exploit the 
new mouse capabilities.

Note that with Python 2.2 you can put in your program the following 
statement:

	from __future__ import division

in which case 3/2 is 1.5 rather than truncated to 1. This is an important 
change for our physics students, who often trip over the truncation problem 
when doing scientific calculations. The intent of the Python developers is 
to make this behavior of division the default in Python 3.0, in the 
somewhat distant future.

Bruce Sherwood

[Visualpython-users] VPython for Linux Python 2.2

[David A. <dm...@an...>]

I've ported cvisual to Python 2.2 on Linux: unfortunately, the mouse 
doesn't work at all.

Looking into this.

[Visualpython-users] While we're voicing requests...

[Kevin C. <kj...@gr...>]

Hi,

Not a strong request, but...  It was mentioned in a previous message 
that newbies to Linux often arrive via Red Hat.  Given that, it would 
seem best to direct them to an RPM for any components available in that 
format,  whenever possible.  Personally, I like RPM's because I like 
the way that I can query the RPM database and learn the who, what, why, 
where, when and how of something that I've installed.  It saves me the
bookkeeping headache of trying to remember what the heck something like
/usr/lib/yada-yada.so.0.3.1 came from and is used by.

That said, I don't avoid tarballs, I just prefer the RPM's.  (I know
RPM's aren't without blemish, but generally speaking, they've been more
useful than not for the last several years.)

-- 
 Kevin Cole, RHCE, Linux Admin  |  E-mail:  kj...@gr...
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