[joag]

I'm trying to learn python and I picked learn python the hard way by Zed Shaw, I don't have a programming background I'm more like a sys-admin combined with a degree in Electrical - Electronic Engineer and the book is really good.

I was able to follow the book very well until I got into chapter 23 "Read Some Code", I thought it was a good idea to learn the lansom code as he created it but as I'm learning python and at the same time learning to program the concepts of packages and API's all combined together just didn't help me, so I started reading code from http://inventwithpython.com/, chapter 9 specifically where the real code start to show up; the code in the book is just one file so you can leave packages and API's until you get more background.

I providing my personal experience because I'm sure that even HN is a site for programmers there is a fair amount of guys here like me just starting in the world of programming and this can help them a bit.

BTW, if some one drops the offer I'll willing to take his place because I really want to learn python + django.

[pavel_lishin]

I tried installing lamson, fwiw. After two days of googling and having some friends who know what they're doing, python-wise (jdunck's former coworker, actually) we FINALLY got it up and running. Barely.

So yeah. My experience says, stay away from lamson as a learning tool.

[joag]

Not bad at all, indeed I want to learn and help the project, the issue installing is just that you need lockfile-0.8 and right not the egg lockfile is 0.9.

Zed gave a hand here thought in the error you get while trying to start the server it says it has to be with that file.

[pavel_lishin]

Really? I didn't get a helpful error about that. It literally came down to trying various versions of lockfile, in the middle of heavy drinking and cursing the creator of lockfile, who released a minor version upgrade that broke all previous functionality.

If I'm dumb, tell me, but without basically expert help, it would have taken me like a week to figure it out, instead of two days.

[joag]

I don't think you are dumb, indeed I wouldn't be able to find the right file either, as I said Zed help me on this.

Anyway try with 0.9 and start the server you'll see that lockfile was the issue, but I wouldn't know what version to install.

[pavel_lishin]

Oh, I see. Yeah, I realized that was the issue, but I didn't know which version I needed, either, or if it was something I was doing wrong.

I assume Zed doesn't maintain this actively anymore? The fact that it doesn't work out-of-the-box suggests so, at least.