After the October and November issues of Python Magazine were both out for some time, I was pretty surprised when I joined IRC channels only to find lots of people who still didn’t know about Python Magazine.
Well, the December issue has just been released in both print and PDF, and I think it’s a killer issue. It’s got a pretty broad range of coverage, and all of the authors we’ve worked with so far have been wonderful. If you are, or would like to be an author in Python Magazine, drop us a line!
First, the cover article is Jesse Noller’s article about threading. Jesse does an outstanding job of making somewhat heady material easy to grasp, even for those who are not indoctrinated in the ways of the Python. If this were the only article in the December issue, the wit and wisdom conveyed would make it worth the cost of the magazine alone.
If you’re a sysadmin in an environment using RPM-based Linux distributions, be sure to check out John Berninger’s article (his second for PyMag) on using Python’s RPM module to help insure the integrity of the packages installed on the system (without the pitfalls of configuring, using, and generally coping with Tripwire).
Still not interested? Ok, how about a look at how Python is enabling the next generation of Accessibility architectures for applications that target (or would like to target) users with disabilities. Steve Lee shows us (literally – with lots of images) what accessibility structures *do*, how they work, how you can use them, the types of disabilities they account for, and the like. This is an incredibly enlightening look at a topic that is often overlooked.
In addition, Saša Dimitrijević shows us what options are available for Pythonistas who would like to go mobile with their applications, and app development. He covers multiple platforms, pointing out the distributions to use for each, the coding and deployment tools available, etc. Again, lots of images of mobile IDEs, emulators, etc., are provided. Excellent work!
Finally, our columnists and editors have rounded out this issue with some great columns.
Doug Hellmann, our senior technical editor, has also been participating in the Google Highly Open Participation contest, and has lots to say about it – including how you can take part, and how the contest is benefitting Python as a language, in addition to various Python projects.
Mark Mruss walks the less senior Python coders through the basics of creating GUIs with PyQT4. I actually call myself a ‘less senior Python coder’ myself, and don’t do much GUI programming, so this was a great read for me. Thanks, Mark!
Steve Holden also gave us an enlightening look at how his site gets the news. The combination of simplicity and effectiveness is a nice break from some of the online coverage I’ve seen about “How to use <huge framework> to deploy <miniscule app>”.
Finally, yours truly writes that front page “from the editor” piece that I’m pretty sure nobody reads. To combat this trend, I’ve taken a look this month at…. trends! Specifically, I went back to look at some old (and informal) language usage statistics from the past 5 years, came to some unsurprising conclusions, and spiced things up with a plea to make Python *more* of a no-brainer for web hosts (and, thereby, web developers).
Have a look! You can buy a single issue, of course – or you can subscribe to Python Magazine and get it delivered to your doorstep each month.