Tim Golden Reviews IronPython in Action
Tim Golden is a Windows Python guru. He is the author of the Python WMI module which interfaces Python to Windows Management Instrumentation. .NET provides access to WMI through the System.Management namespace, which naturally can be used from IronPython. This features in IronPython in Action in chapter ten on system administration:
WMI is a management infrastructure, through which system components provide information about their state and notification of events. You can use WMI to change configuration, interrogate the local system or remote computers, and respond to events. Practical uses for WMI include tasks like inventorying all installed software, uninstalling programs, creating scheduled tasks, and obtaining information about running services. Additionally, applications can provide instrumentation so that they can be queried by WMI.
Tim's help was invaluable in writing the WMI section of the system administration chapter of IronPython in Action. This earns him a mention or two in the footnotes, a fact Tim notes in his review...
By way of disclosure, I’m given a couple of blushingly generous footnote credits by Michael which naturally leave me feeling well-disposed towards the book as a whole. But even without those, I’d be giving it the thumbs-up.
But the most important win, I think, is managing to write a book about IronPython, not about Python or .NET. Naturally there is an element of explanation involved in both directions when some feature is being introduced or compared. But for the most part you can refer to the appendices which give summaries of Python/.NET if an unfamiliar term arises. For me, this achievement is key to the success of a book like this.