Monday, December 24, 2007

IPython on the XO

It is worth noting that IPython, an enhanced Python interactive shell, is included in the standard XO builds. You can do all kinds of high-end wizardry with IPython, but the most immediately useful in this context are object introspection and syntax highlighting. When most of the system is written in Python, good object introspection makes IPython a quick route for figuring out how the parts fit together, particularly in the absence of a real IDE.

It is Christmas eve, so this isn't a good time to follow through, but what is needed is just a special config that automatically adds the relevant system libraries to the path of an IPython session and sets the highlight colors to ones that work with the Sugar Terminal settings.

2 comments:

Chris Lehmann said...

I'm just jealous that your XO is here. Mine still hasn't arrived.

Brokerdelete said...

I've been hooked on this little machine since it arrived 72 hours ago too. Emailed some music files I converted mp3's to .OGG to my Gmail, downloaded, and played them for the Christmas Eve celebration.

I plugged a PC USB keyboard in it and was amazed how that solves the problem of my big hands and little native keys.

And I ran a line from the XO's headphone jack into my karaoke speaker and got fantastic volume.