new to python...

new to python AND new to arcgis 9.3, coming from mapbasic background.

I'm learning some python for scripting in 9.3, and come up with this:

import arcgisscripting

# create the geoprocessor object
gp = arcgisscripting.create(9.3)

gp.workspace = "I:\PDtest"

# process
gp.PointDistance_analysis("stores.shp", "competitors.shp", "output.dbf", "1000 meters")

...it runs fine, but, what if I wanted to have a user input the names etc into a text box before this continued? like so:

workspace_entry = raw_input('please enter path to workspace')
layer1 = raw_input('please enter first layer')
layer2 = raw_input('please enter second layer')

or something like that; it crashes when I try, but still very new to all of this...

thanks,

cj