stats-Python

ILLUSTRATING SHADOWS
focusing on education and interesting practical aspects of sundial design

       Illustrating Shadows ~ ISBN 0-9765286-8-1 ~ Lib Cong 2005900674

                 300+ pages of hands on, empirical, geometric, trigonometric, CAD, and spreadsheet dial design
                                  with 100 pages of charts, tables, formulae, and lists of useful information

THIRD EDITION ~ Table of contents. This edition has expanded tables, more formulae, and more detailed chapters on CAD, vrml. The best book on gnomonics. Much new material. You get a free CD of booklets, spreadsheets, VRML/WRL files, templates, etc with the book. FOR A FREE SAMPLE... try Simple Shadows     PayPal here to buy.


                  Illustrating More Shadows ~ ISBN 0-9765286-9-X ~ Lib Cong 2006930654
This book continues Illustrating Shadows, and focuses on garden dials using common masonry supplies, clay, and glass, with emphasis on many calendar line techniques, and inclined decliners, while providing details on the use of DeltaCAD programming including the animation of many sheets as parameters vary. Sample here.      Get CD here.

Book purchase options are here...

Python (free alternative to JAVA... see url below) (a horizontal dial program)

The Python system consists of a basic system, an optional IDE (integrated development environment), and finally extra sub packages that are required for graphics. Python works under Windows XP SP2, under SP1 text output works but graphics may crash.                  Jan 21, 2008

   http://www.python.org                                                       The basic Python system
    http://www.mmm-experts.com/                                         An optional IDE
    http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/tutorial.html              The most common graphics package "MatPlotLib"
    http://www.scipy.org/                                                         A sub package "numpy" used by MatPlotLib

Install Python first, then MatPlotLib, then Numpy. And, it installs first time, and works. Just let it do its thing about where it will install Python, and the extras. Then install the IDE, if you wish.

Dial programs in Python~ ~ ~ Download this file which has the programs (which can go anywhere), and some notes you should read if you want to get things up and running. This has a tabular h-dial program, and graphical programs for th eh-dial, v-dial, and v-dec dials.

Python is an alternative to JAVA, it supports not only text applications (one is included in the file above), graphical methods (also in the file), but also supports web page programming and the like. The text program only needs the basic Python system. The graphical program needs the basic Python system, as well as MatPlotLib which in turn needs Numpy. As long as you let Python install into its desired directory, the MatPlotLib and Numpy all install easily. You do not need the IDE unless you want to develop your own programs. A note about IDEs, if you run graphics programs from within the IDE, the IDE may hang. The solution is to do MY COMPUTER, then locate the folder, then the file, and doube click on it.

In fact, running the two programs in the file above, is done just that way: do MY COMPUTER, then locate the folder, then the file, and doube click on it.

Python is easy to learn, and more tolerant than JAVA. And some of the sub packages have tremendous power. Python is not new, it is well established, and supported by being pre-installed on their computers.
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PBE model of programming ~ ~ ~ (programming by example).

This section continues the "PBE" philosophy, namely "Programming By Example". Having started programming in 1966, and having written code for BAL, PL/I, RPG, COBOL, ALGOL, APL, FORTRAN, C, BASIC, C++, LISP, and for operating systems from mainframe DOS, MFT, MVT, VS1, MVS, GCP (under VM), UNIX, and various PC operating systems, I have become jaded enough to wade right in and see what works, rather than read several hundred pages of text that mix the language with the object oriented concepts with the development system.

The major problems with current computer languages are:-

          1.     Manuals and HELP systems are designed for those who already know the system
          2.     They seldom if ever provide simple programs stipped to bare bones that take input, do something, display graphical output
          3.      They often have complex build processes, or, very large libraries. ProgeCAD does not, which is in its favor.

So, these web pages are intended to show practical solutions using systems other than the common ones, and to provide a basis for you to develop further. These examples, give you that leg up.

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