Re: Detecting Ctrl-Alt-Del in Windows

2011-09-02 Thread sjm
On Sep 1, 12:52 pm, Den  wrote:
> Obviously, this is a windows-based question.  I know that Ctrl-Alt-Del
> is handled deep inside the OS, and I'm not trying to interrupt that.
> But is there some way to detect that a C-A-D has been pressed?

If you manage to write a program that can detect CTRL-ALT-DEL, please
report it as a bug in Windows!  CTRL-ALT-DEL is Windows' "secure
attention sequence" which must only be handled by the OS.

-- Steve

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Re: Considering python - have a few questions.

2005-02-13 Thread sjm
Heather Stovold wrote:

> I am a "retired" programmer, that started in the DOS world.  (Well, I
guess
> I started pre-DOS...).  I learned C++ (for DOS), and Pascal (for DOS)
when I
> was in school - and programmed for several years in Basic.  (Ok - it
wasn't
> my choice - but it was what I was hired to program in - and each
single-user
> license was around $7,000 - so who was I to argue!)   I later did
some stuff
> in Visual Basic, and did some OOP in it.
>
> HOWEVER - I have not programmed a single darned thing for over 5
years.
> And although I do remember how to program in general, I don't seem to
> remember Visual Basic that well...  so I'm looking around.  (After
all, If
> I'm going to have to relearn a language - might as well be worth
while!)

Heather, one of the beauties of Python is that it's rich enough for the
advanced programmer and yet simple enough for the beginner.  I came to
Python after many years as a professional programmer (assembly
languages, Fortran, COBOL, Symstream, PL/1, Natural, C, Perl, Prolog)
and took to Python immediately.  Yet, were my 11 year-old niece to tell
me she wanted to learn to program, I'd steer her toward Python.  You
fall between these two extremes and  I think Python would be an
excellent choice for you.

-- Steve J. Martin

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Re: Language mavens: Is there a programming with "if then else ENDIF" syntax?

2009-11-17 Thread sjm
On Nov 16, 12:54 pm, Steve Ferg 
wrote:

> Does anybody know a language with this kind of syntax for
> ifThenElseEndif?

Modern-day COBOL:

IF  some-condition
do-something
ELSE
do-something-else
END-IF.

The period is also meaningful as a statement terminator in COBOL,
so it's not as clean as one might like.

I, too, like the Python way.

Cheers,
  Steve J. Martin
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Re: Annoying octal notation

2009-09-03 Thread sjm
On Aug 21, 2:45 pm, John Nagle  wrote:

>      In 2009, Unisys finally exited the mainframe hardware business, and the
> last of the 36-bit machines, the ClearPath servers, are being phased out.
> That line of machines goes back to the UNIVAC 2200 series, and the UNIVAC
> 1100 series, all the way back to the vacuum-tube UNIVAC 1103 from 1952.
> It's the longest running series of computers in history, and code for all
> those machines used octal heavily.

You're right that the 36-bit machines rely heavily on octal notation.
However, Unisys has not exited the hardware business.

The descendants of the original 36-bit 1100-series machines are now
called Dorado.  Unisys announced new models as recently as May 2009
(see http://unisys.com/unisys/news/detail.jsp?id=1694).

I have the extreme pleasure of supporting a Dorado 180 and writing
Python code on Windows--the best of both worlds!

Cheers,
  Steve J. Martin

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Re: ftplib - Did the whole file get sent?

2010-10-25 Thread sjm
On Oct 23, 2:03 am, Sean DiZazzo  wrote:

I follow every ftp put (STOR) with a dir command.  Then if the
recipient claims that they never got it (or did not get all of it), I
have evidence that they did and that their byte count is the same as
mine.

This does not entirely guarantee that the ftp was perfect but it goes
a long way.  It also provides useful information if there is a
problem.

HTH,
  SJM

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