| Question about IDL books [message #47295] |
Sun, 05 February 2006 09:44  |
pimpk24
Messages: 7
Registered: January 2006
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Junior Member |
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I was wondering if the books on idl out there - specifically David
Fanning's and Liam Gumley" present most of their information from the
perspective of using the GUI developers evnvironment or the Command
line to run IDL.
I use the command line / Unix to run IDL on a mac, and would thus
prefer more examples of how to do things in this environment.
Any insight appreciated
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| Re: Question about IDL books [message #47347 is a reply to message #47295] |
Tue, 07 February 2006 11:21  |
Benjamin Hornberger
Messages: 258
Registered: March 2004
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Senior Member |
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pimpk24@hotmail.com wrote:
> I was wondering if the books on idl out there - specifically David
> Fanning's and Liam Gumley" present most of their information from the
> perspective of using the GUI developers evnvironment or the Command
> line to run IDL.
>
> I use the command line / Unix to run IDL on a mac, and would thus
> prefer more examples of how to do things in this environment.
>
> Any insight appreciated
>
To add a "neutral" person's opinion: I think both books are fine for
beginners (in IDL and pretty much also in programming). As was mentioned
before, Liam's book is more structured, while David's is more tutorial /
how-to style.
I'm not sure what you mean by "GUI developer's environment". If you mean
the GUI builder, none of the books covers it, but most people advise
against using it anyway. If you mean the IDL development environment vs.
the Unix command line, none of the books makes much of a difference
because it's not necessary. The IDLDE includes a command line which
behaves like the naked command line, and most of the stuff around is
just for convenience for the people who prefer clicking the mouse rather
than typing a command.
Both books concentrate on command-line / procedural IDL use for the most
part and cover GUI development in the end (anyway, you should know how
to use IDL on the command line before trying to build a GUI). As for GUI
development, I think Liam's intro is easier to understand for the
beginner, but David includes more of the little tips and tricks which
come in handy from time to time.
My group owns both books, and I found both of them useful for learning
IDL. Now I don't need them much any more. For advanced IDL programming,
Ronn Kling's books are quite good (and pretty much the only ones out
there as far as I know).
Hope that helps,
Benjamin
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| Re: Question about IDL books [message #47348 is a reply to message #47295] |
Tue, 07 February 2006 09:38 |
David Fanning
Messages: 11724
Registered: August 2001
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Senior Member |
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pimpk24@hotmail.com writes:
> is your book written in a way that caters to people totally new to idl,
> or does it presume some knowledge in order to get the most out of it?
>
> and the same for Liam's (if you know)
My book caters to people totally new to IDL, but
probably familiar with some programming language.
It is not an "intro to programming" book. (If you
are interested in something like this, I can recommend
Ken Bowmann's new book, An Introduction to Programming
with IDL.) I've used my book for years in all my
introductory and intermediate IDL classes.
Liam's book is better written if you like a structured
approach to programming. I'm too impatient for long
discussions about "data types". "See it, do it," is my
motto. :-)
Cheers,
David
--
David Fanning, Ph.D.
Fanning Software Consulting, Inc.
Coyote's Guide to IDL Programming: http://www.dfanning.com/
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| Re: Question about IDL books [message #47349 is a reply to message #47295] |
Tue, 07 February 2006 09:36 |
liamgumley
Messages: 74
Registered: June 2005
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Member |
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My book assumes a basic knowledge of procedural programming, but it
does not assume any prior knowledge of IDL. That said, I have heard of
people who had their first introduction to programming in any language
from my book.
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| Re: Question about IDL books [message #47350 is a reply to message #47295] |
Tue, 07 February 2006 09:34 |
liamgumley
Messages: 74
Registered: June 2005
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Member |
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Speaking for my book (Practical IDL Programming), I think it's fair to
say that Chapters 1-8 concentrate on using IDL and developing and
running IDL applications from the command line. However, Chapter 9
provides a detailed guide to developing a GUI application.
Cheers,
Liam.
Practical IDL Programming
http://www.gumley.com/
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| Re: Question about IDL books [message #47351 is a reply to message #47295] |
Tue, 07 February 2006 09:30 |
pimpk24
Messages: 7
Registered: January 2006
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Junior Member |
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Hi david,
is your book written in a way that caters to people totally new to idl,
or does it presume some knowledge in order to get the most out of it?
and the same for Liam's (if you know)
thanks...
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| Re: Question about IDL books [message #47383 is a reply to message #47295] |
Mon, 06 February 2006 06:21 |
David Fanning
Messages: 11724
Registered: August 2001
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Senior Member |
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Peter Clinch writes:
> How about the new one, David? ;-)
>
> Just wondering what the status is: I'd faxed off your non-disclosure
> back in January before I disappeared on a ski holiday but haven't heard
> anything else since getting back 3 weeks ago... did you end up with a
> bigger choice of beta-testers, or are you (dare I suggest such a thing)
> just a little behind, or ditched the idea?
Alas, writing a book and making a living are nearly mutually
exclusive propositions. Those tuition bills weigh heavily. :-(
But I haven't abandoned the idea yet.
Cheers,
David
--
David Fanning, Ph.D.
Fanning Software Consulting, Inc.
Coyote's Guide to IDL Programming: http://www.dfanning.com/
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| Re: Question about IDL books [message #47386 is a reply to message #47295] |
Mon, 06 February 2006 02:03 |
Peter Clinch
Messages: 98
Registered: April 1996
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Member |
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David Fanning wrote:
> This question is totally irrelevant to both books, as
> far as I can tell.
How about the new one, David? ;-)
Just wondering what the status is: I'd faxed off your non-disclosure
back in January before I disappeared on a ski holiday but haven't heard
anything else since getting back 3 weeks ago... did you end up with a
bigger choice of beta-testers, or are you (dare I suggest such a thing)
just a little behind, or ditched the idea?
regards, Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net p.j.clinch@dundee.ac.uk http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
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| Re: Question about IDL books [message #47389 is a reply to message #47295] |
Sun, 05 February 2006 13:52 |
David Fanning
Messages: 11724
Registered: August 2001
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Senior Member |
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pimpk24@hotmail.com writes:
> I was not really referring to the machine as much as the command vs.
> GUI way to run IDL- it seems like alot of the examples and info in the
> manuals are for using the GUI builder which I do not care for.
Maybe you mean you don't like to use programs that use
a GUI interface to interact with the program. I suggest,
if this is the case, that you investigate GDL, the
GNU IDL. It is free, doesn't have widgets, and runs
exclusively from the command line. You could probably
find a set of IDL 3.0 manuals around in someone's closet
and you would be set. It would be like stepping back into
the 1970s. Don't forget those bell-bottom polyester pants! :-)
Cheers,
David
--
David Fanning, Ph.D.
Fanning Software Consulting, Inc.
Coyote's Guide to IDL Programming: http://www.dfanning.com/
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| Re: Question about IDL books [message #47390 is a reply to message #47295] |
Sun, 05 February 2006 13:40 |
David Fanning
Messages: 11724
Registered: August 2001
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Senior Member |
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pimpk24@hotmail.com writes:
> I was not really referring to the machine as much as the command vs.
> GUI way to run IDL- it seems like alot of the examples and info in the
> manuals are for using the GUI builder which I do not care for.
Humm. I don't think I've ever run into any examples
in the manuals that are for the GUI builder, to tell
you the truth. Can you give me an example of what you
have in mind?
Every example I've even seen is meant to be typed
at an IDL command line, or put into an IDL program.
Doing either of those two things on any platform
is exactly the same.
Cheers,
David
--
David Fanning, Ph.D.
Fanning Software Consulting, Inc.
Coyote's Guide to IDL Programming: http://www.dfanning.com/
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| Re: Question about IDL books [message #47391 is a reply to message #47295] |
Sun, 05 February 2006 13:18 |
pimpk24
Messages: 7
Registered: January 2006
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Junior Member |
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I was not really referring to the machine as much as the command vs.
GUI way to run IDL- it seems like alot of the examples and info in the
manuals are for using the GUI builder which I do not care for.
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| Re: Question about IDL books [message #47392 is a reply to message #47295] |
Sun, 05 February 2006 12:01 |
David Fanning
Messages: 11724
Registered: August 2001
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Senior Member |
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pimpk24@hotmail.com writes:
> I was wondering if the books on idl out there - specifically David
> Fanning's and Liam Gumley" present most of their information from the
> perspective of using the GUI developers evnvironment or the Command
> line to run IDL.
>
> I use the command line / Unix to run IDL on a mac, and would thus
> prefer more examples of how to do things in this environment.
>
> Any insight appreciated
This question is totally irrelevant to both books, as
far as I can tell. We both try to write books for IDL users.
I don't speak for Liam, but I could care less what machine
you run IDL on. I'm a big fan of machine AND device independent
code. :-)
Cheers,
David
P.S. And don't even get me *started* on the GUI-builder, if
that's what is motivating your question. You won't learn how
to use that from me. :-)
--
David Fanning, Ph.D.
Fanning Software Consulting, Inc.
Coyote's Guide to IDL Programming: http://www.dfanning.com/
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