Mark Lutz's "Blog" Page
This page is an index to both noteworthy content and recent posts at this
. The header and footer wish to note their objection to calling this a "Blog" because that word is both fluid and trendy. But this qualifies on most counts (and "Posts" got 30% fewer hits). Below you'll find:
A
section which showcases premium content here
Curated
that group items by date and category
In the former, tap icons or titles to visit pages. In the latter, higher means newer (roughly), and ⎋ means off-site for hover-challenged gadgets. As of 2022, the latter's posts have also begun relocating to a continuation
for space. Most items on this page are not book-specific; for resources that are, see your book's
.
Best-of bits:
,
, and
.
— The Next Chapter
Thirty years in the making, 2025's Learning Python covers the many mods of Python and its world in the last dozen years. It also slims down in the process, in part by dropping Python 2.X.
— 25 Years of Spam (so far)
Some history, opinion, and comedy from my first quarter century+ of Python training, writing, and promotion. Includes photos from the crusade: tap its top-of-page scroll or see the next item.
— The Photos
The image gallery that accompanies the prior item, updated in 2025 to demo new gallery tools. Pictures and narration of travel, books, and gadgets, served with a healthy side order of snark.
— Frankenthon Lives!
A technical and subjective-but-fair look at Python's expansion and convolution since the publication of Learning Python, 5th Edition. Keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times...
— Free Python Tutorial
The HTML workbook from my former classes. It lacks the words and interaction that went with it, has holes where live demos belong, and is now quite dated, but you may find some of it useful.
— The Web Cut
An early-draft tutorial on Unicode and byte strings in Python, that went on to fame and fortune in large books and evolved separately here. Read the tangled tale and kiss your ASCII goodbye.
— Calendar Sans Login
A basic calendar app for both PCs and Android that's coded in Python and uses a simple folder of ICS files for calendar content. Get Frigcal and keep the bad actors out of the moments of your life.
— Image-Gallery Builder
A program that uses Python, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to turn a folder of images into a gallery viewable both online and offline in any desktop or mobile browser. Plus rotating space monkeys.
— Sync sans Cloud
A cross-platform GUI+script that does fast backup and change propagation for content folders, no clouds required. With Mergeall, your stuff is your property, not someone else's point of control.
— Python's zipfile "++"
A program+library that creates and extracts zips on all platforms, with tools Python's zipfile module lacks: symlink archiving, DST/timezone neutrality, and much more. Think zipfile on steroids.
— Organize Those Photos
A tool that merges photos, adds origin dates to make them unique, and automatically handles duplicates—ideal for folks who let their picture folders grow out of control (and we know who we are).
— Get Free Apps Here
The distribution center for more free programs and software written in the Python programming language, which run on both PCs and smartphones and come with privacy baked in. Track this!
— Wishful Syncing?
Run Mergeall on your Android smartphone to sync content to and from a USB drive. No phone rooting or card removal required, though Android bugs and permissions keep it interesting.
— Yes, It Works
Use desktop-level Python Tkinter GUIs on your Android devices, as long as you're willing to run an app's IDE, code around a few glitches, and tolerate freemium advertising. Hey—it's Android.
— Just Say No
Learn about Android's latest agenda-laden release, which narrows USB access, slows shared storage to a crawl, and slashes utility. Because we're not to be trusted with our own phones.
— Just Say Yes
Use Python to sync folders between your PC and phone by USB, despite Android 11's removal of POSIX USB access and Samsung's removal of microSD cards. Bust your content out of Big-Tech prison today!
— The Last Word
Sync folders between PCs and phones by USB, with a Python-coded standalone app that negates Android lockdowns, sports a seamless UI, and runs everywhere. Despite Google's best efforts. Tap Note
. The latest buzz:
,
,
,
.
3.X got f-strings, :=, type hints, match, and async—but no fix for
Python 3.10's
; because we couldn't do without one for 30 years?
Python 3.9 convolutes the language and breaks your code;
Python Tkinter GUIs finally come to
—advertising
python.org ends support for the still-widely-used Python 2.X,
Python 3.8 is briefly reviewed on
Python 3.7 broke generators too: read the posthumous
Expanded 3.6 topics—number
, f-string
New Unicode article: mistaking CP-1252 for Latin-1
(quotes)
Python 3.7 earns honorable mention on
Python 3.5's bytes string formatting gets a more thorough
Updated 3.5 foibles: type
and core-language
Popular searches: 3.X
, Windows
, fun with
A new
sports a seamless Android
(and runs on PCs
)
3.0 adds touchpad swipes, HTML tags in notes, and
and
both get facelifts and finally do
(sort of)
The new
app caps a five-year Android
Why
uses modtimes instead of checksums to grok
Android Deltas
—
,
, and fighting Big-Tech
grows image
like
; test-drive
,
,
Just in time for the hõlidäys?—Mergeall adds Unicode
gets faster uncompressed
, and Mergeall does delta
The curiously convoluted case of exFAT and FAT32 on
Linux file associations and app launcher: a
for
et al.
: how to fix blurry Tkinter GUIs on
(and 11)
The latest
adds
, UTC
, and
Use
to sync your content with a USB drive on Android:
This site now displays code files nicely with
This site has finally grown
, using
⎋ $3K per stolen book to build a $1T AI chatbot?...
Full makeover—LP6E is now in production and
The publisher page ends its mission with a
Note to the reader: Python isn't easy; it's just
Books are back? O'Reilly restarts direct book
, and Amazon turns
⎋ The show goes on: O'Reilly ends its
and sells access to
The latest publisher
(and one reason my books aren't being
)
A new Chinese translation of Learning Python 5E is out:
,
,
Collateral damage?—pages like
and
lost to publisher morph
O'Reilly
at its site to push online/video subscriptions
⎋ Shockingly, a few videos and AI queries aren't enough to master
⎋ Python code does evil in the movie
⎋ Android registers developers and convolutes
Google Play ❤️s malicious reviews from hacked
Android 15's dodgy 6-hours-per-day limit for sync-app
Chrome on Android overlays
and snatches
macOS: AppleDoubles flood
, translocation kills
Windows Storage Sense might make programs
Google Play badly needs a paradigm shift: tap "Why Free?"
GUI apps on Windows WSL2 Linux: marginal but
Android 11+ casualty: Pydroid 3 loses shared
(and scope)
Android 13 locks down app-specific storage;
The Windows-Chrome scrollbar
Lessons learned from a four-year flirtation with
Android 12's "phantom" process killer also kills Termux and
How Android 11
my Python programs (so far)
Android 10 11 may be as locked down and limited
Why does Mac OS hate independent developers
?
A desktop developer in the
Edge considered harmful: overlaid
In defense of
in open-source software
Gmail users: Be afraid. Be very
...
You can find more posts like these on the blog continuation page: