Python returns False even if internet is connected

Question

I am trying to learn python. This a script I wrote to check internet connection

import os
import urllib2
from time import sleep
REMOTE_SERVER = \"www.google.co.u         


        

Answer 1

Since you haven't imported socket, your reference to socket.gethostbyname will fail with a NameError. But you're catching and silencing every single exception in your try/except block, including that very error. You should never ever do a blank except in the first place, and especially never just to have pass.

Remove that try/except, or limit it to exceptions you know you can handle.

Answer 2

Basically, never do this:

try:
    something()
except:
    pass

Which is the Python equivalent of the good'ol Visual Basic anti-pattern, if you recall:

On Error Resume Next

Leading to unmaintainable and impossible to debug code. Simply because when a problem arises, you don't know what happened (and you don't even know that there is any problem at all).

In your particular case, I suggest you remove the try/except block so that you can know which exception is raised in the traceback. Then, you'll be able to fix it.