Food File on linux seems like a good fit, because it is a free wxPython interface to a publicly available data source (USDA Nutrient Database). I was hoping it would run without modification, but it failed on a line that used Windows-style back-slashes in paths rather than forward slashses — as prefered by linux. After changing 4 such lines, it ran. I was surprised that the fancy OpenGL graphics didn’t cause any problems, but it did segfault on the About box, the simplest dialog in the entire app (go figure). I haven’t got to the bottom of that yet, but when I do, I will release a Linux version. Here’s a screenshot of Food File running under Ubuntu:

I don’t have any experience building a Linux package. If the lazyweb would like to help me with that, it would be appreciated!

I think it was this project that started my pie chart fetish. I wonder if there is a support group or something…

Fortunately I came up with a mnemonic that made it click. Just remember the phrase ‘padded cell’. In a padded cell, the padding goes on the inside. So there you have it, you’ll never again forget that the box model is text -> padding -> border -> margin.

Now I’m thinking that there may be some people out there who would be prepared to pay to generate such images for websites or for print, and it wouldn’t be too hard to extend the idea to other forms of chart, such as bar graphs. So, dear lazyweb, is there a big enough market in such a thing to warrant sinking my valuable spare time into?

The basic interface is the same, so it should be a drop in replacement for most people. The  base class for tags has changed (but not significantly), so if you have any custom tags, it will require a little work to get them functional again. See postmarkup.py for example tags.

I actually quite like bbcode as a light-weight markup. Possibly I’m rationalising, as I’ve spent a couple of days polishing it when I should be job-hunting! Its great for its original purpose, of letting forum users format text, but it could be used as a more friendly alternative to XML. It’s also higher level than (X)HTML in that a tag can generate intelligent content rather that simply applying a style.

Now I have to find some other project to keep me entertained before I re-join the rat race!

Postmarkup test server

Please give it a try, and let me know if you can break it.

In building this, I’ve created a very rudimentary web service. I’m wondering if there is any practical use for such a thing…

I’m a software developer with over 10 years experience. I’m looking for a role working with Python, which has been the focus of my career for the last 18 months. Prior to that I worked with a mixture of C/C++ and Python. Ideally I’m looking for something in web development as I enjoy working with HTML / CSS and Javascript, but I’m open to other fields that may interest me. I have experience working with Turbogears and Django, as well as many other Python modules and technology.

I enjoy developing software outside of a work environment, and have created several games, applications, web sites, and open source Python modules. My blog is probably the best place to find out more about my spare time projects, see my Python articles for more information.

I’m also an author, having written a book about game development with Python. So I like to think I am a good communicator.

I’d like a full-time position, but I would consider contract work. I’m based in London, so anything in central London would be ideal. Please get in touch if you have a suitable role or would like to know more. I’m available for immediate start.

Mobile: 07722 531972

No recruiters please. And by no recruiters, I mean no recruiters.

Update: I have updated my CV (willmcgugancv.pdf)

Starting a new job has made me consider, what I laughingly call, my career. I started out in games, writing really low level code in assembler and eventually moved in to 3D graphics. Working in games can be a lot of fun, but I found that I was solving the same kind of problems over and over again. Partially because even cutting edge games must perform the same kind of tasks as ancient (> 10 years old) games, and partially because C++ doesn’t deliver what it promises in terms of re-use of code. I also found I disliked working on massive projects because its hard to feel any sense of ownership in the project when you know you are a small cog in a big machine. Fortunately I manged to change the direction of my career by getting in to Python.

What I’ve realised recently is that my hobby projects drive my career. I got my first job in games by writing a 3D graphics demo,  subsequent games jobs were off the back of an AI life demo I wrote, and I’m sure that one of the reasons I got a job with chessclub.com was that I had already written a chess game in my spare time. Even this new job was probably helped by my most recent hobby project. So I would encourage anyone to take up some hobby projects or work on open source. I would also encourage programmers to go in to some niche technology area, rather than whatever technology is the most commercial at the time. Sooner or later any skill will become mainstream and the job market will be saturated. Better to have less common skills so that you will always be in demand. Seems to have worked for me so far.

That my self-indulgent post for this year. Back to the usual geeky stuff next post.

In the context of a web framework, is it better to have the full expressiveness of Python, or restrict templates to presentation only?