It begins!

[Jay]

Ok guys, welcome to the Python 'psutil' process management module
project!

As you can see, our discussion group is already set up thanks to
Giampaolo so we can discuss development related items via the psutil-
dev group, which we're all already members of. The project code page
is set up at http://code.google.com/p/psutil/ also, and as soon as
"maintenance" is done, we can start to use the wiki as well.

So before we get to the business at hand, I figured I would introduce
you two to each other. Giampaolo and I met through the Python mailing
list, and I joined him in working on the pyftpdlib project:
http://code.google.com/p/pyftpdlib/ Giampaolo hails from Italy so we
have a international development team going already :-)

Dave and I met through his work on "phxfix" which Dave was kind enough
to share his source code to, and it was ultimately what got me started
programming, especially in C and C++. Dave is a resident of NY state
so that makes two of us from the northeast coast of the U.S.. Dave is
an experience programmer and his specialty is C++ development, with
experience in C, Java and Python as well. I will probably be relying
quite a bit on Dave for help with the platform-specific C code for
this module.

Our next step is to start designing our API, so I propose once
introductions are taken care of that we all start looking at API
documentation for languages like .NET, Java, and any others we can
think of. Then let's post them to the discussion list, talk about what
we do and don't like, and start putting together a basic outline. I
suggest two phases:

1) features
- "must have" features
- "nice to have" features
- platform-specific features, if any

2) API design
- object/class structure
- method names
- exceptions
- return types, parameters, default options

Once we have an idea what features need to be implemented, it will be
easier to design objects and methods etc. so let's worry about those
first. I'll start a new thread separate from this one later and list
off some features I think we need and let's go from there...

Happy coding!

-Jay

[Giampaolo Rodola']

Here I am too.
Nice to meet you Dave.
As Jay already mentioned I'm Italian so I hope you'll excuse my
English skills which, as you'll see, are pretty much far from being
good. :)
I really enjoy talking with people from other countries, especially if
they are Americans (Jay can confirm that :)) so I hope we two could
talk a bit together from time to time.

My background about the computer technology could be summarized in the
passion of the hacking/security and the Python programming, mainly
focused on the development of networking-related applications.
I developed some security-related tools:
http://billiejoex.altervista.org/Prj_Py_soicmp.shtml
http://billiejoex.altervista.org/Prj_Py_port_knock.htm
...and the already mentioned pyftpdlib project in which also Jay is
involved.

A great limitation of mine is that Python is the only language I
currently know so I guess you guys will be the only ones who'll take
care of the C/C++ stuff which will be needed to be coded in this
project.

What else? I don't know... If it's of some interest I'm a guitar
player who likes rock & blues, I'm a great fan of Stephen King and I
love watching American movies (with English subtitles ;)) and reading
comics and mangas.
I'm also involved in the Italian subtitling of Jeff Dunham's shows, an
American ventriloquist I discovered some months ago:
http://it.youtube.com/user/fabrjx
...which has been a good chance to improve my English skills.


I like joining open source projects like this one and working in team.
It is always a good chance to learn things and have fun at the same
time.
I hope we'll be able to make something useful for the community which,
as far as I've been able to see by reading the python mailing list,
often asks help for doing tasks like the ones which should be covered
by this module.

I've never been too much good at finishing things like presentation
letters or curriculum vitaes so I'll just say hello to both of you
and... have a great time.
Here are 3:36 AM and I think the best thing for me to do now is going
to sleep. :)

Catch you in the next days.


--- Giampaolo

[David Daeschler]

Hello Jay, Giampaolo,

> Nice to meet you Dave.

It is very nice to meet you as well. Jay has only nice things to say
about you, so I know we'll all get along well.

> As Jay already mentioned I'm Italian so I hope you'll excuse my
> English skills

I didn't have any problem reading your e-mail so your english is good
enough for me.

> ..I developed some security-related tools..

I love that shell over ICMP implementation! Very interesting!

> A great limitation of mine is that Python is the only language I
> currently know

That's okay. I'm sure there will be a lot of python code to be written.
My philosophy is that we will do as little as possible in C to try and
limit the inherent problems with writing software in such a low level
language.

I'm looking forward to working with you.

- Dave

[Giampaolo Rodola']

I'd like to spend some other words to introduce you another guy who
can bring a lot of help concerning the Windows development.
His name is Yan Raber, a good friend of mine living in Bologna
(Italy). Jay already knows him since he helped us in fixing a path
traversal issue affecting pyftpdlib.
He actually does not know much about Python but he's a C programmer
who knows a lot about Windows internals.
I talked with him via skipe today and we discussed about some ways to
make the API as much portable as possible.
Hopefully he will be able to post a message this evening.


--- Giampaolo