While watching some [ADC TV][adctv], I became somewhat enchanted with a
[Panther][panther] feature I previously was largely unaware of — most of the
[Quartz][quartz] compositing engine is now available from [Python][python].
The problem I had with it, however, was that there didn’t seem to be an awful
lot of info available beyond what I said above; its in there somewhere. I
only found out about it half a year after the presentation when I watched it
on ADC TV, and months after Panther’s release.
So, tonight I idly decide to skim [MacDevCenter][mdc] — host of many
interesting articles, in spite of the fact that I get over there slightly
less often than most people see their Dentist. One of the items that jumped
out at me was [Panther, Python and CoreGraphics][ppcg], complete with an
example featuring the requisite PDF-powered drop-shadow effect. What’s more,
they point out where Apple’s cool sample code is —
`/Developer/Examples/Quartz/Python/` — and that some of Panther’s fax
features, including generation of cover sheets for outgoing faxes, are
implemented in CoreGraphics-using Python scripts (see `/usr/libexec/fax/`).
I should start buying my non-programmer friends (i.e., “I’ve been too busy
using \\[Mac OS X] to have time to learn _how_ to use it”) Python books
whenever a gift occasion pops up. “You already gave me a python book, you
know.” “Clearly you need _another_ one!”
[adctv]: http://developer.apple.com/adctv/ (Apple Developer Connection Television)
[panther]: http://www.apple.com/macosx/ (Mac OS X Panther)
[quartz]: http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/quartz/
[python]: http://www.python.org/
[mdc]: http://www.macdevcenter.com/
[ppcg]: http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/03/19/core_graphics.html (MacDevCenter.com: Panther, Python, and CoreGraphics [Mar. 19, 2004])
*[PDF]: Portable Document Format