Looking for an interpreter that does not request internet access

[James Alan Farrell]

Hello,
I recently installed new anti-virus software and was surprised the
next time I brought up IDLE, that it was accessing the internet.

I dislike software accessing the internet without telling me about it,
especially because of my slow dial up connection (there is no option
where I live), but also because I feel it unsafe.

Can anyone recommend an interpreter that does not access the internet
when it starts (or when it is running, unless I specifically write a
program that causes it to do so, so as a browser)?

James Alan Farrell

 

[kaens]

Hello,
I recently installed new anti-virus software and was surprised the
next time I brought up IDLE, that it was accessing the internet.

I dislike software accessing the internet without telling me about it,
especially because of my slow dial up connection (there is no option
where I live), but also because I feel it unsafe.

Can anyone recommend an interpreter that does not access the internet
when it starts (or when it is running, unless I specifically write a
program that causes it to do so, so as a browser)?

James Alan Farrell

On windows . . . hmm. Eclipse with pydev, python from the
command-line, Crimson Editor (I think it has python support).

I'm surprised that IDLE is accessing the internet - it's probably
looking for updates or something, and you can probably turn it off.
Eclipse checks for updates unless you tell it not to.

FYI, although IDLE runs an interpreter, it is not an interpreter - it
is an editor (I think so anyhow, I don't use it (find it clunky) and
could be wrong)

 

[Robert Kern]

Hello,
I recently installed new anti-virus software and was surprised the
next time I brought up IDLE, that it was accessing the internet.

I dislike software accessing the internet without telling me about it,
especially because of my slow dial up connection (there is no option
where I live), but also because I feel it unsafe.

It is not accessing the internet. It is opening up a local socket connection to
communicate with a separate (but still local!) process for the interactive
interpreter.

Can anyone recommend an interpreter that does not access the internet
when it starts (or when it is running, unless I specifically write a
program that causes it to do so, so as a browser)?

The regular interpreter works fine.

--
Robert Kern

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma
that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had
an underlying truth."
-- Umberto Eco

 

[Paul Rubin]

I recently installed new anti-virus software and was surprised the
next time I brought up IDLE, that it was accessing the internet.

See the message it displays when you start it. It's not really
accessing the internet, it's opening a socket to another process
running on the same machine. Try unplugging your network cable and
running idle and you'll see the socket connection still succeeds.

 

[John Roth]

Hello,
I recently installed new anti-virus software and was surprised the
next time I brought up IDLE, that it was accessing the internet.

I dislike software accessing the internet without telling me about it,
especially because of my slow dial up connection (there is no option
where I live), but also because I feel it unsafe.

Can anyone recommend an interpreter that does not access the internet
when it starts (or when it is running, unless I specifically write a
program that causes it to do so, so as a browser)?

James Alan Farrell

One of two things is going on. Either the anti-virus program you
installed is so clueless that it doesn't understand "localhost" or the
IP address equivalent, or IDLE (or it's subprocess) is opening the
socket in promiscuous mode. Either one will give you that symptom.

There are definitely anti-virus products that are that clueless.
Scream at the vendor.

I doubt if it's Idle, but I'm not in the mood to check the code to see
if it's doing it right.

John Roth

 

[James Alan Farrell]

One of two things is going on. Either the anti-virus program you
installed is so clueless that it doesn't understand "localhost" or the
IP address equivalent, or IDLE (or it's subprocess) is opening the
socket in promiscuous mode. Either one will give you that symptom.

There are definitely anti-virus products that are that clueless.
Scream at the vendor.

I doubt if it's Idle, but I'm not in the mood to check the code to see
if it's doing it right.

John Roth

Thanks to all who answered.

The antivirus is McAfee, and I have found it clueless in many ways.
Unfortunately the vendor is my place of employment, and if I am to
work from home and log into their system, they require me to have it.
Otherwise I have to go to the office.

Management and IT there might well be clueless but I am new there and
don't want to say that yet.

 

[James Alan Farrell]

It is not accessing the internet. It is opening up a local socket connection to
communicate with a separate (but still local!) process for the interactive
interpreter.


The regular interpreter works fine.

At the risk of sounding clueless, what is "the regular interpreter"?
I've now read several python books, and they all recommend IDLE.

I've not yet tried unplugging the cable -- have other fish to fry at
the moment, but will try it.

 

[William Allison]

At the risk of sounding clueless, what is "the regular interpreter"?
I've now read several python books, and they all recommend IDLE.

By typing "python" at your command prompt you'll also get
an interactive interpreter.

 

[casevh]

Hello,
I recently installed new anti-virus software and was surprised the
next time I brought up IDLE, that it was accessing the internet.

I dislike software accessing the internet without telling me about it,
especially because of my slow dial up connection (there is no option
where I live), but also because I feel it unsafe.

Can anyone recommend an interpreter that does not access the internet
when it starts (or when it is running, unless I specifically write a
program that causes it to do so, so as a browser)?

James Alan Farrell

It is a false alarm. The IP address 127.0.0.1 is a reserved address
that means "this computer". It is more commonly known as "localhost".
A server application can bind to 127.0.0.1 and it can be accessed by a
client application running on the same computer. This is what IDLE is
doing. It is not accessing the Internet. It is only using the IP
protocol to communicate between different parts of the application.

The anti-virus application should be configured to allow use of
127.0.0.1. But coming from a corporate IT world, I'm not surprised
that it is not reasonably configured....

casevh

 

[Hrvoje Niksic]

Hello,
I recently installed new anti-virus software and was surprised the
next time I brought up IDLE, that it was accessing the internet.

I dislike software accessing the internet without telling me about it,
especially because of my slow dial up connection (there is no option
where I live), but also because I feel it unsafe.

When I start up IDLE, I get this message:

****************************************************************
Personal firewall software may warn about the connection IDLE
makes to its subprocess using this computer's internal loopback
interface. This connection is not visible on any external
interface and no data is sent to or received from the Internet.
****************************************************************

It would seem to explain the alarm you're seeing.

 

[Thorsten Kampe]

* James Alan Farrell (Tue, 26 Jun 2007 01:07:46 GMT)

I recently installed new anti-virus software and was surprised the
next time I brought up IDLE, that it was accessing the internet.

I dislike software accessing the internet without telling me about it,
especially because of my slow dial up connection (there is no option
where I live), but also because I feel it unsafe.

Can anyone recommend an interpreter that does not access the internet
when it starts (or when it is running, unless I specifically write a
program that causes it to do so, so as a browser)?

Sorry, but this is really ridiculous. When you start Idle it
explicitly tells you

****************************************************************
Personal firewall software may warn about the connection IDLE
makes to its subprocess using this computer's internal loopback
interface. This connection is not visible on any external
interface and no data is sent to or received from the Internet.
****************************************************************

You shouldn't use any kind of software (Antivirus or Personal
Firewall) if you have no idea how it's working or can't interpret the
messages they give.

If your Antivirus really told you that Idle is accessing the
"Internet" than uninstall this crap.

Thorsten

 

[Thorsten Kampe]

* Hrvoje Niksic (Fri, 29 Jun 2007 13:07:01 +0200)

When I start up IDLE, I get this message:

****************************************************************
Personal firewall software may warn about the connection IDLE
makes to its subprocess using this computer's internal loopback
interface. This connection is not visible on any external
interface and no data is sent to or received from the Internet.
****************************************************************

It would seem to explain the alarm you're seeing.

Actually it wouldn't. 127.0.0.1 is definitely not "the Internet" and
it would make James' posting even mysterious...