Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

MacPorts VS A Byte of Python

Compare MacPorts VS A Byte of Python and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

MacPorts logo MacPorts

The MacPorts Project is an open-source community initiative to design an easy-to-use system for compiling, installing, and upgrading either command-line, X11 or Aqua based open-source software on the Mac OS X operating system.

A Byte of Python logo A Byte of Python

A Byte of Python is a Python programming tutorial and learning book that teaches you how to program with the Python programming language.
  • MacPorts Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-29
Not present

MacPorts features and specs

  • Wide Range of Software
    MacPorts provides access to a large number of open-source software packages, allowing users to easily install and manage them on macOS.
  • Ease of Use
    With a simple command-line interface, MacPorts is easy to use for installing, updating, and managing software packages.
  • Dependency Management
    Automatically handles software dependencies, ensuring that all required packages are installed and properly configured.
  • Customizability
    Offers options to tailor the installation of packages to meet specific user needs, such as enabling or disabling specific variants.
  • Isolated Environment
    Installs packages in a separate directory under /opt/local, preventing conflicts with macOS-provided software and keeping the system environment clean.

Possible disadvantages of MacPorts

  • Disk Space Usage
    MacPorts can consume a significant amount of disk space, as it builds software from source and maintains its own directory tree.
  • Performance Overheads
    Building packages from source can be time-consuming, particularly for large or complex software, which may lead to longer installation times.
  • Limited GUI Options
    Primarily a command-line tool, MacPorts offers limited graphical interfaces for users who prefer GUI-based package management.
  • Learning Curve
    While generally straightforward, MacPorts requires some familiarity with command-line operations and package management concepts.
  • Potential Redundancies
    For users who also use Homebrew or other package managers, there might be overlap in functionality, leading to redundancy and potential conflicts.

A Byte of Python features and specs

  • Beginner-Friendly
    The book is aimed at beginners with no prior programming experience and explains concepts in a simple and accessible way.
  • Free and Open Source
    The book is freely available online, making it accessible to everyone, and it is open source, allowing for community contributions and improvements.
  • Comprehensive Introduction
    Covers the fundamental concepts of Python programming in a structured manner, with clear explanations and examples.
  • Practical Examples
    Includes real-world examples and exercises that help reinforce learning and understanding of core concepts.
  • Multi-lingual Support
    Available in multiple languages, broadening accessibility for non-English speakers.

Possible disadvantages of A Byte of Python

  • Lack of Depth for Advanced Topics
    The book primarily focuses on introductory topics and may not cover advanced Python programming concepts in depth.
  • Limited Updates
    Being a community-driven project, the frequency and recency of updates may vary, potentially leading to outdated content, especially with Python evolving.
  • Variable Teaching Style
    As contributions come from different authors, there can be inconsistencies in teaching style or depth of explanation.
  • Basic Design and Formatting
    The book's design and page layout are quite basic, which might not appeal to readers looking for a more visually engaging format.
  • Limited Coverage on Libraries
    Does not extensively cover many of the popular Python libraries that are vital for specific fields like data science, web development, or machine learning.

MacPorts videos

Linux Tools for your Mac. Package Management. HomeBrew, MacPorts, Fink

More videos:

  • Review - Install and Testing MacPorts on an M1 Mac
  • Review - Installing MacPorts on macOS Catalina

A Byte of Python videos

A Byte Of Python (Ebook Review)

More videos:

  • Review - A Byte of Python (#1 of 50)
  • Review - A Byte of Python (#3 of 50)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MacPorts and A Byte of Python)
Front End Package Manager
Online Learning
0 0%
100% 100
Package Manager
100 100%
0% 0
Development
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using MacPorts and A Byte of Python. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

MacPorts might be a bit more popular than A Byte of Python. We know about 5 links to it since March 2021 and only 4 links to A Byte of Python. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

MacPorts mentions (5)

  • Need help with running OpenBSD on VirtualBox
    Brew & macports have libvirt & virt-manager that are used to manage qemu via GUI. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Brew Is a Bad Neighbor
    Or instead of all this, try MacPorts[0], which in my experience has 99% of what you need. The biggest drawbacks are less support from quite niche packages (the ones that sets up its own homebrew tap), and a bit slower updates. But then I found it bearable much more than homebrew’s downsides. [0]: https://macports.org. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • How to prevent WireGuard from starting up (menubar) on MacOS?
    You can install wireguard-go and wireguard-tools (or boringtun, which is Cloudflare's userspace implementation) using either MacPorts or Brew. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Newbie Problem with MacOS Terminal Stuff
    That being said, I'm going to assume that you're working on MacO. Flatpaks aren't going to be an option, that's only going to work if you're using Linux (like Fedora, Ubuntu, Gentoo, Arch, Mint, and so on). If you need to install HandBrake, you may want to consider using macports.org, or brew.sh, these are projects that provide additional libraries and packages for MacOS, this way you can install additional... Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Top 10 trending github repos of the week🚽.
    On macOS you can also install the latest release with MacPorts:. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago

A Byte of Python mentions (4)

  • Best Websites For Coders
    A Byte of Python : a free beginner introduction to python. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • What are some good books to learn python ?
    Byte of Python, I learned Python in one hour with this tutorial. Https://python.swaroopch.com/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • learning to code with python
    One of my favorite early references is A Byte of Python by Swaroop. It breaks down the basics really well, has no ads, and is completely free. You can even download a copy as PDF or EPUB from the author's GitHub page. Source: over 2 years ago
  • What’s the best programming language to start learning as a Beginner?
    Python is a great start, it has a huge community and tons of resource to get started with. I'd recommend checking out a Byte of Python https://python.swaroopch.com/. If you prefer something more interactive, exercism is also great https://exercism.org/tracks/python. Source: about 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing MacPorts and A Byte of Python, you can also consider the following products

Homebrew - The missing package manager for macOS

Google's Python Class - Assorted educational materials provided by Google.

pkgsrc - pkgsrc is a framework for building over 17,000 open source software packages.

The New Boston video series - Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Homebrew Cask - Install with ease. Your software is just one command away from being ready and raring to go. Forget all about babysitting the install process step by step, from website to cleanup. ls /usr/local/Caskroom google-chrome .

Think Python - Learning Resources