5.10. Other System ToolsIn this and the prior two chapters, we've met most of the commonly used system tools in the Python library. Along the way, we've also learned how to use them to do useful things such as start programs, process directories, and so on. The next two chapters are something of a continuation of this topic. They use the tools we've just met to implement scripts that do useful and more realistic system-level work, so read on for the rest of this story. Still, other system-related tools in Python appear even later in this text. For instance:
Moreover, things like forks and threads are used extensively in the Internet scripting chapters: see the server implementations in Chapter 13 and the FTP and email GUIs in Chapter 14. Along the way, we'll also meet higher-level Python modules such as SocketServer, which implement fork and thread-based server code for us. In fact, most of this chapter's tools will pop up constantly in later examples in this bookabout what one would expect of general-purpose, portable libraries. Last but not necessarily least, I'd like to point out one more time that many additional tools in the Python library don't appear in this book at all. With hundreds of library modules, Python book authors have to pick and choose their topics frugally! As always, be sure to browse the Python library manuals early and often in your Python career. |