Book Recommendation
Anthony
looks of it im never going to get done the book is about 860 pages long
real intimidating, but im guess im going to have to stick in there. have
any of you ever read it? is it a good book? if not what do you suggest i
read. Please help me i'm eager to learn :)
Thanks
Cameron Laird
I like *Core Python Programming*. My goals might differ
from yours, though. What are you after? What's your back-
ground? Those probably determine more than the book itself.
Perhaps <URL: http://www.unixreview.com/documents/s=7822/ur >
and <URL: http://www.python.org/cgi-bin/moinmoin/PythonBooks >
will interest you.
--
Cameron Laird <cla...@phaseit.net>
Business: http://www.Phaseit.net
Anthony
Well I know C, bash and i work with scripting alot i know the basics of
programming, incremental development, debugging, etc I wanna implement
gentoo's portage system which is completely written in python. I
wanna become a gentoo developer which requires me to learn bash and python
gentoo's ebuilds are written and portage in python. That means i have to
be a top notch python programmer I've read the first four chapters of the
book which is very good it doesn't play around it gets straight to the
point, but as i said the size, and weight of the book is intimidating. MY
mom bought me this book so i dont wanna just leave it here collecting dust
i might just have to pick it up and read it :)
Thanks
Gerrit Holl
I don't know the book, but...
If you're eager to learn, you should be happy with such a big book, this
means you can learn a lot! :)
BTW, there is a 'tutor' mailinglist, which may interest you. You're
questions are welcome here, but that list is specifically designed
for beginners, so you have more chance in getting questions answered
faster there.
Gerrit.
--
Mozilla _is_ the web: it grows faster than you can download it.
1011001 1101111 1110101 1110010 1110011 0101100
1000111 1100101 1110010 1110010 1101001 1110100
Chris Watson
> --
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
>
Python Essential Reference. Best book out on python bar none.
Chris Watson
M.M.
Bestor G. Brown #433
Wichita, KS
AIM: BSDUNIX44
Cameron Laird
.
.
>> Perhaps <URL: http://www.unixreview.com/documents/s=7822/ur >
<URL: http://www.unixreview.com/documents/s=1357/ur0303j/ >
is the correct form. I apologize for the error.
>
>Well I know C, bash and i work with scripting alot i know the basics of
>programming, incremental development, debugging, etc I wanna implement
>gentoo's portage system which is completely written in python. I
>wanna become a gentoo developer which requires me to learn bash and python
>gentoo's ebuilds are written and portage in python. That means i have to
>be a top notch python programmer I've read the first four chapters of the
>book which is very good it doesn't play around it gets straight to the
>point, but as i said the size, and weight of the book is intimidating. MY
.
.
I assure you: you do NOT have to know everything
in *Core Python Programming* to "become a gentoo
developer".
In fact, it might be appropriate to refine *that*
notion: what does "a gentoo programmer" mean to
you? Someone who *could* do gentoo system admin-
istration, if a need arose? Someone who earns a
full-time living specializing in gentoo peculi-
arities? Someone who once delivered one
application that satisfied a gentoo end-user?
This is, by the way, the life of a programmer:
lots of conversations on the theme of, "What do
you mean by that?"
Michael Geary
> programming, incremental development, debugging, etc I wanna implement
> gentoo's portage system which is completely written in python. I
> wanna become a gentoo developer which requires me to learn bash and python
> gentoo's ebuilds are written and portage in python. That means i have to
> be a top notch python programmer I've read the first four chapters of the
> book which is very good it doesn't play around it gets straight to the
> point, but as i said the size, and weight of the book is intimidating. MY
> mom bought me this book so i dont wanna just leave it here collecting dust
> i might just have to pick it up and read it :)
Have you gone through the tutorial at www.python.org?
http://www.python.org/doc/2.3.2/tut/tut.html
When I started learning Python, I made the mistake of skipping the tutorial,
figuring that I didn't want an introduction to programming (having been
programming for over 30 years). I didn't realize that this tutorial was also
very good for programmers with experience in other languages.
My favorite Python books at the moment are Alex Martelli's _Python in a
Nutshell_, David Mertz's _Text Processing in Python_, and David Beazley's
_Python Essential Reference_.
-Mike
Anthony
Ok you guys are the best I'm going to stop bugging you now and get to work
there is just one more question i have to ask. "Michael Geary" said read
the tutorial on python.org, but Core Python Programming covers everything
should i read the tutorial on python.org anyway or just the book?
Paul Rubin
> Ok you guys are the best I'm going to stop bugging you now and get to work
> there is just one more question i have to ask. "Michael Geary" said read
> the tutorial on python.org, but Core Python Programming covers everything
> should i read the tutorial on python.org anyway or just the book?
First, read the tutorial. Then, if you're still confused, go look at
the book in the store and see if it answers your questions. If it
does, buy it and read it. If it doesn't, look for another group, ask
questions on the newsgroup, etc.
In my opinion, if you have solid experience programming in other
languages, then the tutorial and reference manual are probably all you
need to get going with Python, and you needn't bother with any books.
But if you're less experienced, you may benefit from a Python book.
Also, I'm not familiar with "Core Python Programming" but if you feel
you need a book, the first one I'd look at is "Python in a Nutshell".
Paul Rubin
> First, read the tutorial. Then, if you're still confused, go look at
> the book in the store and see if it answers your questions. If it
> does, buy it and read it. If it doesn't, look for another group, ask
> questions on the newsgroup, etc.
Bah, I'm not typing well today. I meant to say "If it doesn't, look
for another BOOK, ask questions on the newsgroup, etc.".
Michael Geary
> there is just one more question i have to ask. "Michael Geary" said read
> the tutorial on python.org, but Core Python Programming covers everything
> should i read the tutorial on python.org anyway or just the book?
Why are you asking? The tutorial is free, just go read it and then decide if
it was worthwhile! :-)
You can also read _Text Processing in Python_ for free on David Mertz's
site:
If nothing else, read David's Appendix A which provides some real insight
into how the Python language works:
http://gnosis.cx/TPiP/appendix_a.txt
And you can get a free 14-day trial of Safari at http://safari.oreilly.com/
and read _Python in an Nutshell_ and _Python Essential Reference_ there.
Gonna be a busy couple of weeks for you. :-)
-Mike
John J. Lee
I'd say read the stuff on language issues, skim the stuff on libraries
&c. (assuming that's what fills all those pages?), then ditch the book
and just write some code. You just need to have read enough to have a
good mental map and some basic knowledge -- at that point, reading
without doing becomes an inefficient way of learning. Then come back
to this newsgroup and c.l.py.announce, read other people's code, read
the rest of the book and articles on the web, experiment with
libraries, etc. That's what I did when learning Python (in sharp
contrast to C++, which scares me enough that I read several books
before writing a line of code...).
John
John J. Lee
> Hello I'm currently trying to read Core Python Programming, but by the
[...]
> any of you ever read it? is it a good book? if not what do you suggest i
> read. Please help me i'm eager to learn :)
No idea about Core PP, but I can certainly say that the Python
Cookbook is good. Other people have said good things about the
Nutshell (both books are published by O'Reilly). Apparently you can
read these free for a month by signing up for O'Reilly's Safari
service, then canceling.
John
Terry Reedy
"Anthony" <sysf...@secureb0x.net> wrote in message
news:pan.2003.10.08....@secureb0x.net...
At 860 pages, CPP is either very verbose, uses huge type, or covers
more than is core python programming for any one learner. My standard
suggestion for learning Python is this: open either an interactive
browser or one of the guis that wrap or imitate one (Idle, PythonWin,
???) and open the tutorial in a browser window. Then move back and
forth. Skim stuff you already know, but pay particular attention to
the Python data model, semantics of binding/assignment, and the
difference between that and in-place mutation. Try out questions that
occur to you, like "what happens if I leave an index blank?"
If CPP starts with similar material (don't know, have never seen it)
then you might start with that instead. But tutorial gives you
Guido's view of language, which may be different from CPP's. (I
personally have learned from getting multiple explanations for certain
aspects.) It should take you about 2-3 hours (or maybe more since
current version seems expanded from 7 years ago). So don't spend 2-3
hours deciding whether to read it or not ;-)
Terry J. Reedy
python newbie
It's a great pdf, continually updated. At the start of each chapter, you get
some new python code in your face right away, and then he explains the
chapter's concepts using this code, and covers a lot in a painless, quick
way.
"Anthony" <sysf...@secureb0x.net> wrote in message
news:pan.2003.10.08....@secureb0x.net...
Gerrit Holl
> Have you gone through the tutorial at www.python.org?
>
> http://www.python.org/doc/2.3.2/tut/tut.html
>
> When I started learning Python, I made the mistake of skipping the tutorial,
> figuring that I didn't want an introduction to programming (having been
> programming for over 30 years). I didn't realize that this tutorial was also
> very good for programmers with experience in other languages.
Actually, the reverse is true for me. I started with the online tutorial in
1999, but it was to difficult for me. For true starters, the learning curve
of the online tutorial is quite steep, especially if you don't have a lot
of general background knowledge about things like mathematics and abstract
thinking (I was 13 or 14). So I borrowed Learning Python (well, borrowed,
it's still here ;) and read it carefully, but getting OO under the nails
only happened quite recently: now, I can't imagine programming without it.
Gerrit.
--
230. If it kill the son of the owner the son of that builder shall be
put to death.
-- 1780 BC, Hammurabi, Code of Law
--
Asperger Syndroom - een persoonlijke benadering:
http://people.nl.linux.org/~gerrit/
Kom in verzet tegen dit kabinet:
http://www.sp.nl/
Anthony
Ok you guys I got everything you guys are the best thanks for all your
replies, and honesty. I can't believe my core python programming book is
outdated my mom just purchased it. please tell me it's still readable i
read the first 2 chapters of it after the original posting, and it was
good :) i don't like the structure of the tutorial on python.org im going
to look over diveintopython, and learning python since those were
recommended here i still wanna read my book does the date mean a whole lot?
Cameron Laird
>outdated my mom just purchased it. please tell me it's still readable i
.
.
Books get on store shelves in a process much akin to
legislation or sausage-making; it certainly would
surprise civilians, and syllogisms like, "available
at retail => current and pertinent" are true only
incidentally--it's tempting to write, "accidentally".
I'll say it more crudely: that a book is available
for sale is absolutely no guarantee that it's cur-
rent, or accurate, or well-written, or any of the
other qualities consumers might favor.
In the case at hand, I urge you not to discard *Core
Python Programming* just because it's old. Python's
a reasonably conservative language; unlike many pro-
prietary offerings, it doesn't change just to extract
renewal fees from its users. If *CPP* suits your
approach, reading it (even in part) will help you.
You'll pick up Python's latest decorations some other
way.
Eddie Corns
I think CPP is a very good book (apart from being dated). As someone who had
already done programming I found I just whizzed through it. Each chapter
easily explained how each of the things I knew how to do would be done in
Python and in the right order to build on. I read most of the chapters in 2
days (skipped regexs and classes IIRC on the first pass). Then I went and
started applying it with the book at hand.
Eddie
Michael Geary
> > Have you gone through the tutorial at www.python.org?
> >
> > http://www.python.org/doc/2.3.2/tut/tut.html
> >
> > When I started learning Python, I made the mistake of skipping the
tutorial,
> > figuring that I didn't want an introduction to programming (having been
> > programming for over 30 years). I didn't realize that this tutorial was
also
> > very good for programmers with experience in other languages.
Gerrit Holl wrote:
> Actually, the reverse is true for me. I started with the online tutorial
in
> 1999, but it was to difficult for me. For true starters, the learning
curve
> of the online tutorial is quite steep, especially if you don't have a lot
> of general background knowledge about things like mathematics and abstract
> thinking (I was 13 or 14). So I borrowed Learning Python (well, borrowed,
> it's still here ;) and read it carefully, but getting OO under the nails
> only happened quite recently: now, I can't imagine programming without it.
Right, I would recommend the online tutorial (along with the books I
mentioned) for programmers with experience in other languages. _Learning
Python_ is a much better bet for someone starting out in programming.
-Mike
Alan Gauld
<sysf...@secureb0x.net> wrote:
> replies, and honesty. I can't believe my core python programming book is
> outdated my mom just purchased it. please tell me it's still readable
Its a very good introductory text. It is outdated in that the
version it uses is now out of date but 95% (at least) is still
perfectly valid and 99% will work as is, there just might be
better more recent ways.
Python develops at a fairly rapid rate so that any book will go
out of date quickly. My own book started using 1.5.1, finished
using 1.5.2 but the current version by the time of release was
2.0 (which I put on the CD). You just can't keep up with the
changes and write a good book too (IMHO).
If you like the style of Core Python stick with it, its as good
as any other. Then read the online tutor which gets updated with
each language version so you can pick up whats changed.
If you don;t like the style then the other suggestions are all
valid too.
Alan G.
Author of the Learn to Program website
http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/alan.gauld
David Mertz
reviews of most of these, easily enough. The side effect is that my
shelves have a lot of books that I'm not realistically going to look at
anymore.
I would be very happy to send the below titles to anyone who will pay
for shipping (maybe a buck or two extra for my effort). Most of these
are listed on TextbookX.com too (for little cost), but for a long time
without buyers. Of course, some books I like better than others; I
kinda hate to get someone started on a book that isn't as good, even for
free... and most of them have at least some merit:
Jython Essentials
Jython for Java Programmers
Python Manual Pages (Dossier Press, no ISBN)
Python Library Reference (ditto)
Python Miscellanea (ditto)
XML Pocket Guide (x2)
Python Pocket Reference (1st and 2nd ed)
Python Programming on Win32
Perl 5 Howto
Python Programming Patterns
Core Python Programming
Web Programming in PYthon
Visual Quickstart Guide Python
The Quick Python Book
The Zope Book
Zope Web Application Development and Content Management
Python and Tkinter
GUI Programming with Python: Using the QT Toolkit
Programming with Python
Java Developer's Guid to Servlets and JSP
MySQL (A! Press)
MySQL: Building User Interfaces
Well, those are just the ones I can see from my chair (I throw in a
couple that are not Python). I probably have a few more if I were to
walk to the next room :-).
Email me if interested.
Yours, David...
--
mertz@ _/_/_/_/ THIS MESSAGE WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: \_\_\_\_ n o
gnosis _/_/ Postmodern Enterprises \_\_
.cx _/_/ \_\_ d o
_/_/_/ IN A WORLD W/O WALLS, THERE WOULD BE NO GATES \_\_\_ z e
Anthony
That covers just about all my answers thanks guys I'll keep in touch
asking questions, etc. I just finished 16 excercises at the end of chapter
2 in my book it's great i love it, after each chapter I'll look at the
reference on python.org to get a better understanding of everything i went
over in there, thanks alot you guys and when I'm famous you all will be
compensated :)
Thanks :)