Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by sthlm 3901 days ago
I can recommend to peruse the source code. It's well written and documented. Such projects always put a smile on my face, since they demonstrate how far we've come in some respects:

- We've learned how to write and produce reusable, easily digestable code

- Python gives us a language that is concise, readable

- Frameworks like OpenCV let us do incredible things

- Open Source allows us to share it and collaborate*

- Platforms like Github facilitate the entire experience

10 years ago it took forever to configure my webcam on my Linux machine. I had to scour mailing lists and custom web sites to download various versions of kernel patches. Now my webcam is built-in and it takes 2-3 commands to take something off of Github and have fun.

* Of course Open Source is not new, but today it really seems like "Open Source won".
2 comments
V-2 3901 days ago
What about these magic string: "slouching_alert(QString, QString)"? I don't know Python. Does it work by reflection? I assume these are some kind of bindings to an underlying native API or something? It doesn't look very maintainable...
link
mkempe 3901 days ago
Qt uses slots and signals to control messaging between threads (e.g. the UI and the workers).

The Python binding to Qt is good, but it is auto-generated (from C++) and some of it shows up as non-Pythonic mechanisms or conventions.

link
amyjess 3900 days ago
Newer versions of PyQt have replaced the magic strings with a system that's much more Pythonic, using decorators and OOP.

I guess the author just wanted to keep backwards compatibility with old versions (or isn't aware of the change).

Edit: If anyone's interested, here's the new syntax: http://pyqt.sourceforge.net/Docs/PyQt4/new_style_signals_slo...

link
pyskell 3899 days ago
Thanks for this. I had no idea a different mechanism existed.
link
mkempe 3900 days ago
is PySide2 also getting that new system?
link
amyjess 3900 days ago
Looks like it: https://wiki.qt.io/Signals_and_Slots_in_PySide
link
zb 3901 days ago
Nothing to do with Python, it looks like a Qt thing. Not much the author can do about that.
link
pyskell 3899 days ago
Hey there sthim. Slouchy author here.

I just wanted to say thank you for your comments. It really put a smile on my face to see someone liked my actual code.

link