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diff --git a/Doc/faq/general.rst b/Doc/faq/general.rst index 6f4733f5e9..2221f14927 100644 --- a/Doc/faq/general.rst +++ b/Doc/faq/general.rst @@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ Finally, Python is portable: it runs on many Unix variants, on the Mac, and on Windows 2000 and later. To find out more, start with :ref:`tutorial-index`. The `Beginner's Guide to -Python <http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide>`_ links to other +Python <https://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide>`_ links to other introductory tutorials and resources for learning Python. @@ -36,11 +36,11 @@ The Python Software Foundation is an independent non-profit organization that holds the copyright on Python versions 2.1 and newer. The PSF's mission is to advance open source technology related to the Python programming language and to publicize the use of Python. The PSF's home page is at -http://www.python.org/psf/. +https://www.python.org/psf/. Donations to the PSF are tax-exempt in the US. If you use Python and find it helpful, please contribute via `the PSF donation page -<http://www.python.org/psf/donations/>`_. +<https://www.python.org/psf/donations/>`_. Are there copyright restrictions on the use of Python? @@ -53,12 +53,12 @@ commercial use, to sell copies of Python in source or binary form (modified or unmodified), or to sell products that incorporate Python in some form. We would still like to know about all commercial use of Python, of course. -See `the PSF license page <http://python.org/psf/license/>`_ to find further +See `the PSF license page <https://www.python.org/psf/license/>`_ to find further explanations and a link to the full text of the license. The Python logo is trademarked, and in certain cases permission is required to use it. Consult `the Trademark Usage Policy -<http://www.python.org/psf/trademarks/>`__ for more information. +<https://www.python.org/psf/trademarks/>`__ for more information. Why was Python created in the first place? @@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ programming), software engineering (unit testing, logging, profiling, parsing Python code), and operating system interfaces (system calls, filesystems, TCP/IP sockets). Look at the table of contents for :ref:`library-index` to get an idea of what's available. A wide variety of third-party extensions are also -available. Consult `the Python Package Index <http://pypi.python.org/pypi>`_ to +available. Consult `the Python Package Index <https://pypi.python.org/pypi>`_ to find packages of interest to you. @@ -151,23 +151,24 @@ after a final minor release is made, the Subversion trunk is incremented to the next minor version, which becomes the "a0" version, e.g. "2.4a0". -See also the documentation for ``sys.version``, ``sys.hexversion``, and -``sys.version_info``. +See also the documentation for :data:`sys.version`, :data:`sys.hexversion`, and +:data:`sys.version_info`. How do I obtain a copy of the Python source? -------------------------------------------- The latest Python source distribution is always available from python.org, at -http://www.python.org/download/. The latest development sources can be obtained -via anonymous Mercurial access at http://hg.python.org/cpython. +https://www.python.org/download/. The latest development sources can be obtained +via anonymous Mercurial access at https://hg.python.org/cpython. The source distribution is a gzipped tar file containing the complete C source, Sphinx-formatted documentation, Python library modules, example programs, and several useful pieces of freely distributable software. The source will compile and run out of the box on most UNIX platforms. -Consult the `Developer FAQ <http://docs.python.org/devguide/faq>`__ for more +Consult the `Getting Started section of the Python Developer's Guide +<https://docs.python.org/devguide/setup.html>`__ for more information on getting the source code and compiling it. @@ -177,8 +178,8 @@ How do I get documentation on Python? .. XXX mention py3k The standard documentation for the current stable version of Python is available -at http://docs.python.org/. PDF, plain text, and downloadable HTML versions are -also available at http://docs.python.org/download.html. +at https://docs.python.org/3/. PDF, plain text, and downloadable HTML versions are +also available at https://docs.python.org/3/download.html. The documentation is written in reStructuredText and processed by `the Sphinx documentation tool <http://sphinx-doc.org/>`__. The reStructuredText source for @@ -191,7 +192,7 @@ I've never programmed before. Is there a Python tutorial? There are numerous tutorials and books available. The standard documentation includes :ref:`tutorial-index`. -Consult `the Beginner's Guide <http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide>`_ to +Consult `the Beginner's Guide <https://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide>`_ to find information for beginning Python programmers, including lists of tutorials. @@ -199,7 +200,7 @@ Is there a newsgroup or mailing list devoted to Python? ------------------------------------------------------- There is a newsgroup, :newsgroup:`comp.lang.python`, and a mailing list, -`python-list <http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list>`_. The +`python-list <https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list>`_. The newsgroup and mailing list are gatewayed into each other -- if you can read news it's unnecessary to subscribe to the mailing list. :newsgroup:`comp.lang.python` is high-traffic, receiving hundreds of postings @@ -208,38 +209,38 @@ every day, and Usenet readers are often more able to cope with this volume. Announcements of new software releases and events can be found in comp.lang.python.announce, a low-traffic moderated list that receives about five postings per day. It's available as `the python-announce mailing list -<http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-announce-list>`_. +<https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-announce-list>`_. More info about other mailing lists and newsgroups -can be found at http://www.python.org/community/lists/. +can be found at https://www.python.org/community/lists/. How do I get a beta test version of Python? ------------------------------------------- -Alpha and beta releases are available from http://www.python.org/download/. All +Alpha and beta releases are available from https://www.python.org/download/. All releases are announced on the comp.lang.python and comp.lang.python.announce -newsgroups and on the Python home page at http://www.python.org/; an RSS feed of +newsgroups and on the Python home page at https://www.python.org/; an RSS feed of news is available. -You can also access the development version of Python through Subversion. See -http://docs.python.org/devguide/faq for details. +You can also access the development version of Python through Mercurial. See +https://docs.python.org/devguide/faq.html for details. How do I submit bug reports and patches for Python? --------------------------------------------------- To report a bug or submit a patch, please use the Roundup installation at -http://bugs.python.org/. +https://bugs.python.org/. You must have a Roundup account to report bugs; this makes it possible for us to contact you if we have follow-up questions. It will also enable Roundup to send you updates as we act on your bug. If you had previously used SourceForge to report bugs to Python, you can obtain your Roundup password through Roundup's -`password reset procedure <http://bugs.python.org/user?@template=forgotten>`_. +`password reset procedure <https://bugs.python.org/user?@template=forgotten>`_. For more information on how Python is developed, consult `the Python Developer's -Guide <http://docs.python.org/devguide/>`_. +Guide <https://docs.python.org/devguide/>`_. Are there any published articles about Python that I can reference? @@ -259,7 +260,7 @@ Are there any books on Python? ------------------------------ Yes, there are many, and more are being published. See the python.org wiki at -http://wiki.python.org/moin/PythonBooks for a list. +https://wiki.python.org/moin/PythonBooks for a list. You can also search online bookstores for "Python" and filter out the Monty Python references; or perhaps search for "Python" and "language". @@ -269,11 +270,12 @@ Where in the world is www.python.org located? --------------------------------------------- The Python project's infrastructure is located all over the world. -`www.python.org <http://www.python.org>`_ is currently in Amsterdam, graciously -hosted by `XS4ALL <http://www.xs4all.nl>`_. `Upfront Systems +`www.python.org <https://www.python.org>`_ is graciously hosted by `Rackspace +<http://www.rackspace.com>`_, with CDN caching provided by `Fastly +<https://www.fastly.com>`_. `Upfront Systems <http://www.upfrontsystems.co.za>`_ hosts `bugs.python.org -<http://bugs.python.org>`_. Most other Python services like `PyPI -<https://pypi.python.org>`_ and hg.python.org are hosted by `Oregon State +<https://bugs.python.org>`_. Many other Python services like `the Wiki +<https://wiki.python.org>`_ are hosted by `Oregon State University Open Source Lab <https://osuosl.org>`_. @@ -282,7 +284,7 @@ Why is it called Python? When he began implementing Python, Guido van Rossum was also reading the published scripts from `"Monty Python's Flying Circus" -<http://pythonline.com/>`__, a BBC comedy series from the 1970s. Van Rossum +<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Python>`__, a BBC comedy series from the 1970s. Van Rossum thought he needed a name that was short, unique, and slightly mysterious, so he decided to call the language Python. @@ -311,7 +313,7 @@ guaranteed that interfaces will remain the same throughout a series of bugfix releases. The latest stable releases can always be found on the `Python download page -<http://python.org/download/>`_. There are two recommended production-ready +<https://www.python.org/download/>`_. There are two recommended production-ready versions at this point in time, because at the moment there are two branches of stable releases: 2.x and 3.x. Python 3.x may be less useful than 2.x, since currently there is more third party software available for Python 2 than for @@ -335,9 +337,9 @@ the group or even read it. Have any significant projects been done in Python? -------------------------------------------------- -See http://python.org/about/success for a list of projects that use Python. +See https://www.python.org/about/success for a list of projects that use Python. Consulting the proceedings for `past Python conferences -<http://python.org/community/workshops/>`_ will reveal contributions from many +<https://www.python.org/community/workshops/>`_ will reveal contributions from many different companies and organizations. High-profile Python projects include `the Mailman mailing list manager @@ -351,14 +353,14 @@ include Google, Yahoo, and Lucasfilm Ltd. What new developments are expected for Python in the future? ------------------------------------------------------------ -See http://www.python.org/dev/peps/ for the Python Enhancement Proposals +See https://www.python.org/dev/peps/ for the Python Enhancement Proposals (PEPs). PEPs are design documents describing a suggested new feature for Python, providing a concise technical specification and a rationale. Look for a PEP titled "Python X.Y Release Schedule", where X.Y is a version that hasn't been publicly released yet. New development is discussed on `the python-dev mailing list -<http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-dev/>`_. +<https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-dev/>`_. Is it reasonable to propose incompatible changes to Python? @@ -376,43 +378,6 @@ Providing a gradual upgrade path is necessary if a feature has to be changed. changes while minimizing disruption for users. -Is Python Y2K (Year 2000) Compliant? ------------------------------------- - -.. remove this question? - -As of August, 2003 no major problems have been reported and Y2K compliance seems -to be a non-issue. - -Python does very few date calculations and for those it does perform relies on -the C library functions. Python generally represents times either as seconds -since 1970 or as a ``(year, month, day, ...)`` tuple where the year is expressed -with four digits, which makes Y2K bugs unlikely. So as long as your C library -is okay, Python should be okay. Of course, it's possible that a particular -application written in Python makes assumptions about 2-digit years. - -Because Python is available free of charge, there are no absolute guarantees. -If there *are* unforeseen problems, liability is the user's problem rather than -the developers', and there is nobody you can sue for damages. The Python -copyright notice contains the following disclaimer: - - 4. PSF is making Python 2.3 available to Licensee on an "AS IS" - basis. PSF MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. BY - WAY OF EXAMPLE, BUT NOT LIMITATION, PSF MAKES NO AND DISCLAIMS ANY - REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR - PURPOSE OR THAT THE USE OF PYTHON 2.3 WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY THIRD PARTY - RIGHTS. - - 5. PSF SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO LICENSEE OR ANY OTHER USERS OF PYTHON - 2.3 FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR LOSS AS - A RESULT OF MODIFYING, DISTRIBUTING, OR OTHERWISE USING PYTHON 2.3, - OR ANY DERIVATIVE THEREOF, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF. - -The good news is that *if* you encounter a problem, you have full source -available to track it down and fix it. This is one advantage of an open source -programming environment. - - Is Python a good language for beginning programmers? ---------------------------------------------------- @@ -451,14 +416,25 @@ while they enter their program's source in another window. If they can't remember the methods for a list, they can do something like this:: >>> L = [] - >>> dir(L) - ['append', 'count', 'extend', 'index', 'insert', 'pop', 'remove', + >>> dir(L) # doctest: +NORMALIZE_WHITESPACE + ['__add__', '__class__', '__contains__', '__delattr__', '__delitem__', + '__dir__', '__doc__', '__eq__', '__format__', '__ge__', + '__getattribute__', '__getitem__', '__gt__', '__hash__', '__iadd__', + '__imul__', '__init__', '__iter__', '__le__', '__len__', '__lt__', + '__mul__', '__ne__', '__new__', '__reduce__', '__reduce_ex__', + '__repr__', '__reversed__', '__rmul__', '__setattr__', '__setitem__', + '__sizeof__', '__str__', '__subclasshook__', 'append', 'clear', + 'copy', 'count', 'extend', 'index', 'insert', 'pop', 'remove', 'reverse', 'sort'] + >>> [d for d in dir(L) if '__' not in d] + ['append', 'clear', 'copy', 'count', 'extend', 'index', 'insert', 'pop', 'remove', 'reverse', 'sort'] + >>> help(L.append) Help on built-in function append: - + <BLANKLINE> append(...) - L.append(object) -- append object to end + L.append(object) -> None -- append object to end + <BLANKLINE> >>> L.append(1) >>> L [1] @@ -476,4 +452,4 @@ of Python editing environments. If you want to discuss Python's use in education, you may be interested in joining `the edu-sig mailing list -<http://python.org/community/sigs/current/edu-sig>`_. +<https://www.python.org/community/sigs/current/edu-sig>`_. |