The language junkie in me spoke on Python to the .NET group, and of course, leave it to me to remember to tie in IronPython - the .NET implementation of Python.

My slides are here:


All of my sample code has been zipped up and is available here.

I'd like to thank all those who came out. I had a very inquisitive and interactive audience, which made my presentation that much easier to deliver. It was great to present tech to one of my home user groups, and I hope to speak more around town.

Labels: C#/VB.NET SIG, IronPython, presentation, python

It's summer, a time for hanging out with family and friends, a time to relax, right? As much as I wanted to take a break and relax, my schedule is keeping me busy, with at least 4 talks planned. So... what's going on?

• Cleveland C#/VB.NET SIG
  Python 101 for the .NET Developer
  
  The first part of this meeting will cover the basics of Python - its history, how its data structures compare to those we're familiar with in the primary .NET languages, its strong and weak points, who's using it, and why you as a developer - both generally speaking and as a .NET developer - should care about Python. The second part of this talk will get into the demos - starting with some basic Python scripts and getting into IronPython scripts, if time allows. By the end of this talk, you'll have an idea of what Python is, why you should know it as a developer and specifically as a .NET developer, and how to get setup and write a basic app in both Python and IronPython.
  


• PyOhio 2009
  
  Pumping Iron into Python: Intro to FePy
  As python grows in popularity, IronPython has started making more waves. What is IronPython and why should regular python programmers be familiar with it? This session will introduce the open source .NET implementation of python known as IronPython without using Windows. Come see FePy (IronPython community edition) in action via Mono -- a cross-platform open source implementation of the .NET framework.
  
  Show & Tell: IronPython Edition
  In this session, you will hear about IronPython and what is needed to work with this .NET implementation of the python language. This session will show the power of IronPython in a Windows environment. There will be many demos of how IronPython can be used - including some WPF, XNA, Silverlight, COM Interop, database interaction, and other neat features.
  


• devLink
  
  Going Cross-Platform with C#
  Running Windows forms apps in a non-Windows environment? As absurd as it sounds, it can be done. This session will show how to work with Mono and MonoDevelop to get your Windows apps to be cross-platform.
  

Hope to see you at one of my talks this summer!

Labels: C#/VB.NET SIG, devLink, presentation, PyOhio

One of the latest talks that I will be adding to my list is "Pumping Iron into Python: Intro to FePy". Originally, I had named the talk "Pumping Iron into Python : Intro to IronPython", but that title was too long for the CodeMash submission page. So then I shortened the name, but in changing the name, it changed the context of my talk as well. My abstract changed from an intro to IronPython similar to the one I did at Cleveland Day of .NET to this:


As python grows in popularity, IronPython has started making more waves. What is IronPython and why should regular python programmers be familiar with it? This session will introduce the open source .NET implementation of python known as IronPython without using Windows. Come see FePy (IronPython community edition) in action via Mono -- a cross-platform open source implementation of the .NET framework.

I'm extremely excited to announce that it has been accepted for CodeMash, so I will be giving this talk in January 2009 at the conference at Kalahari resort in Sandusky.

When I first put together the abstract for this talk, I was looking forward to showing just IronPython. But after seeing Catherine's comment here and having to shorten my title for the CodeMash submission, I changed my perspective and decided to take this another way.

I decided to act on Catherine's comment and submitted this talk for PyCon 2009. That talk is currently in the review process. Now I've spoken at user groups and Days of .NET, and those submission processes are fairly short and straightforward. Even the CodeMash submission process was fairly painless, other than maybe for the decision makers since they had quite a few sessions to review. But the PyCon submission process has been probably the most interactive, most detailed process that I've gone through so far - and I definitely like it.

I submitted the talk to PyCon on the same day I submitted it to CodeMash, before the November 3rd cutoff. Since then, I've had a few people look at my submission and comment on my submission. The comments came from my reviewers, who basically wanted to know more and had things to say about the topic with the description that I posted here. I was able to go in and hopefully answer their questions.

I liked that there was a way to interact with the reviewers. There are stricter guidelines and an agreement to be videotaped, amongst other things. This is what the PyCon submission timeline is for proposals. Now, I wait until December 15th or so, when I find out if my talk will be accepted.

However, I'm not really sitting and doing nothing while waiting. Remember... this talk has already been accepted for one conference, and I'm really looking forward to showing off IronPython in a different development environment besides Visual Studio. I'm looking forward to showing off Mono and developing with that. I will also be showing off some of the things that FePy has that makes it different from the standard IronPython implementation, as well as what IronPython has to offer for non-Windows users.

Look forward to hearing more about this talk as we get closer to CodeMash... teasers will definitely show up between now and then!

Labels: CodeMash, FePy, IronPython, Mono, presentation, PyCon

While reading up on my Google Alerts, I came across this Cleveland Day of .NET review at Taller Code. It was good to see another person's perspective of the day, and it's always interesting to read what others have to say about your presentation.

As a speaker, I find feedback to be quite important. Whether it's positive or negative, it always helps to get an outsider's point of view. What did you like about the presentation? What didn't you like? What did you wish was covered that wasn't? Answer questions like those when giving feedback, and you'd be doing the speaker a favor. To get honest feedback like that really helps a speaker improve not only their performance but also their presentation.

Now that I'm not actively planning any events for a bit, I can work on refining my presentation and building new presentations. I had talked to a couple of my friends last week, and talking with them made me realize that I should stick with it. I'm putting the IronPython presentation on hold, though, as I am getting a presentation together to submit for an upcoming event later this summer. Although my audience may be a little more serious, I'll still be keeping it real and trying to keep it entertaining while showing some cool new tech stuff.

So stay tuned to see what's in store!

Labels: feedback, presentation, speaker