Re: [Tutor] Which version to start with?

[Jerry Hill]

On Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 8:59 AM, Ken G.  wrote:
> I am just starting on Python 2.6.2 on Ubuntu 9.04 and I am slightly confused
> with the numerous tutorials and books available for learning the language.
> Is there any good recommendation for a good but easy tutorial on the
> Internet to learn Python?

I'm fond of the official python tutorial: http://docs.python.org/tutorial/

-- 
Jerry
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Re: [Tutor] Which version to start with?

[Lewis Chuang]

As someone who learned (about) programming by copying and pasting code, 
I really appreciate," Python for software design - how to think like a 
computer scientist" by Allen Downey. It really talks you through the 
workflow of programming, rather than just give you a long list of things 
that you can do if you learn to program in X.


A legally free manuscript is available here:
http://www.greenteapress.com/thinkpython/

Best wishes,
Lewis

Wayne wrote:



On Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 7:59 AM, Ken G. > wrote:


I am just starting on Python 2.6.2 on Ubuntu 9.04 and I am
slightly confused with the numerous tutorials and books available
for learning the language.  Is there any good recommendation for a
good but easy tutorial on the Internet to learn Python?

Ken


Alan has a good tutorial:
www.alan-g.me.uk/ 

I haven't read it, but a lot of others on here are big fans of 
Wesley's book:

http://python.net/crew/wesc/cpp/

There are several other sources and tutorials around, those are just 
the first two that popped into my mind :)


I kinda hopped around to various tutorials, especially since I've 
programmed before (and am a CS major), so a lot of the concepts were a 
bit easier for me to grasp.


Alan's tutorial does a great job explaining a lot of concepts behind 
programming in general and ties them to programming in python.


HTH,
Wayne

 



wesley chun wrote:

On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 2:24 PM, Nick Hird  
 wrote:
  

What is the best version of python to start out with? I see some
discussions on the net about not going to 3.1 but staying with the 2.x
releases. But then i see that 3.1 is better if your just starting.


greetings nick!

ironically, i just gave a talk on this very subject yesterday afternoon(!)
http://www.siliconvalley-codecamp.com/Sessions.aspx?OnlyOne=true&id=227 


basically, if you're starting from scratch as a hobby with no
pre-existing code, then learning 3.x is okay. however, since most of
the world still runs on Python 2, most printed and online books and
tutorials are still on Python 2, and the code at most companies using
Python is still on version 2, i would recommended any release 2.6 (and
newer). the reason is because 2.6 is the first release that has
3.x-specific features backported to it, so really, it's the first
Python 2 release that lets you start coding against a 3.x interpreter.

you can learn Python using 2.6+ then absorb the differences and move
to Python 3.x quite easily.

hope this helps!
-- wesley

  


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--
To be considered stupid and to be told so is more painful than being 
called gluttonous, mendacious, violent, lascivious, lazy, cowardly: 
every weakness, every vice, has found its defenders, its rhetoric, its 
ennoblement and exaltation, but stupidity hasn’t. - Primo Levi



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Re: [Tutor] Which version to start with?

[Wayne]

On Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 7:59 AM, Ken G.  wrote:

>  I am just starting on Python 2.6.2 on Ubuntu 9.04 and I am slightly
> confused with the numerous tutorials and books available for learning the
> language.  Is there any good recommendation for a good but easy tutorial on
> the Internet to learn Python?
>
> Ken
>

Alan has a good tutorial:
www.alan-g.me.uk/

I haven't read it, but a lot of others on here are big fans of Wesley's
book:
http://python.net/crew/wesc/cpp/

There are several other sources and tutorials around, those are just the
first two that popped into my mind :)

I kinda hopped around to various tutorials, especially since I've programmed
before (and am a CS major), so a lot of the concepts were a bit easier for
me to grasp.

Alan's tutorial does a great job explaining a lot of concepts behind
programming in general and ties them to programming in python.

HTH,
Wayne



>
> wesley chun wrote:
>
> On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 2:24 PM, Nick Hird  
>  wrote:
>
>
>  What is the best version of python to start out with? I see some
> discussions on the net about not going to 3.1 but staying with the 2.x
> releases. But then i see that 3.1 is better if your just starting.
>
>
>  greetings nick!
>
> ironically, i just gave a talk on this very subject yesterday 
> afternoon(!)http://www.siliconvalley-codecamp.com/Sessions.aspx?OnlyOne=true&id=227
>
> basically, if you're starting from scratch as a hobby with no
> pre-existing code, then learning 3.x is okay. however, since most of
> the world still runs on Python 2, most printed and online books and
> tutorials are still on Python 2, and the code at most companies using
> Python is still on version 2, i would recommended any release 2.6 (and
> newer). the reason is because 2.6 is the first release that has
> 3.x-specific features backported to it, so really, it's the first
> Python 2 release that lets you start coding against a 3.x interpreter.
>
> you can learn Python using 2.6+ then absorb the differences and move
> to Python 3.x quite easily.
>
> hope this helps!
> -- wesley
>
>
>
>
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>


-- 
To be considered stupid and to be told so is more painful than being called
gluttonous, mendacious, violent, lascivious, lazy, cowardly: every weakness,
every vice, has found its defenders, its rhetoric, its ennoblement and
exaltation, but stupidity hasn’t. - Primo Levi
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Re: [Tutor] Which version to start with?

[Ken G.]

I am just starting on Python 2.6.2 on Ubuntu 9.04 and I am slightly 
confused with the numerous tutorials and books available for learning 
the language.  Is there any good recommendation for a good but easy 
tutorial on the Internet to learn Python?


Ken

wesley chun wrote:

On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 2:24 PM, Nick Hird  wrote:
  

What is the best version of python to start out with? I see some
discussions on the net about not going to 3.1 but staying with the 2.x
releases. But then i see that 3.1 is better if your just starting.




greetings nick!

ironically, i just gave a talk on this very subject yesterday afternoon(!)
http://www.siliconvalley-codecamp.com/Sessions.aspx?OnlyOne=true&id=227

basically, if you're starting from scratch as a hobby with no
pre-existing code, then learning 3.x is okay. however, since most of
the world still runs on Python 2, most printed and online books and
tutorials are still on Python 2, and the code at most companies using
Python is still on version 2, i would recommended any release 2.6 (and
newer). the reason is because 2.6 is the first release that has
3.x-specific features backported to it, so really, it's the first
Python 2 release that lets you start coding against a 3.x interpreter.

you can learn Python using 2.6+ then absorb the differences and move
to Python 3.x quite easily.

hope this helps!
-- wesley

  
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Re: [Tutor] Which version to start with?

[Nick Hird]

Thanks all! I think i will install the newly released 2.6.3 and go
from there. Its a little intimidating but i guess i gotta jump right
in and get my feet wet.

Thanks again!
-Nick

On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 5:59 PM, wesley chun  wrote:
> On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 2:24 PM, Nick Hird  wrote:
>> What is the best version of python to start out with? I see some
>> discussions on the net about not going to 3.1 but staying with the 2.x
>> releases. But then i see that 3.1 is better if your just starting.
>
>
> greetings nick!
>
> ironically, i just gave a talk on this very subject yesterday afternoon(!)
> http://www.siliconvalley-codecamp.com/Sessions.aspx?OnlyOne=true&id=227
>
> basically, if you're starting from scratch as a hobby with no
> pre-existing code, then learning 3.x is okay. however, since most of
> the world still runs on Python 2, most printed and online books and
> tutorials are still on Python 2, and the code at most companies using
> Python is still on version 2, i would recommended any release 2.6 (and
> newer). the reason is because 2.6 is the first release that has
> 3.x-specific features backported to it, so really, it's the first
> Python 2 release that lets you start coding against a 3.x interpreter.
>
> you can learn Python using 2.6+ then absorb the differences and move
> to Python 3.x quite easily.
>
> hope this helps!
> -- wesley
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> "Core Python Programming", Prentice Hall, (c)2007,2001
> "Python Fundamentals", Prentice Hall, (c)2009
>    http://corepython.com
>
> wesley.j.chun :: wescpy-at-gmail.com
> python training and technical consulting
> cyberweb.consulting : silicon valley, ca
> http://cyberwebconsulting.com
>



-- 
--Nick
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Re: [Tutor] Which version to start with?

[wesley chun]

On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 2:24 PM, Nick Hird  wrote:
> What is the best version of python to start out with? I see some
> discussions on the net about not going to 3.1 but staying with the 2.x
> releases. But then i see that 3.1 is better if your just starting.


greetings nick!

ironically, i just gave a talk on this very subject yesterday afternoon(!)
http://www.siliconvalley-codecamp.com/Sessions.aspx?OnlyOne=true&id=227

basically, if you're starting from scratch as a hobby with no
pre-existing code, then learning 3.x is okay. however, since most of
the world still runs on Python 2, most printed and online books and
tutorials are still on Python 2, and the code at most companies using
Python is still on version 2, i would recommended any release 2.6 (and
newer). the reason is because 2.6 is the first release that has
3.x-specific features backported to it, so really, it's the first
Python 2 release that lets you start coding against a 3.x interpreter.

you can learn Python using 2.6+ then absorb the differences and move
to Python 3.x quite easily.

hope this helps!
-- wesley
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Core Python Programming", Prentice Hall, (c)2007,2001
"Python Fundamentals", Prentice Hall, (c)2009
http://corepython.com

wesley.j.chun :: wescpy-at-gmail.com
python training and technical consulting
cyberweb.consulting : silicon valley, ca
http://cyberwebconsulting.com
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Re: [Tutor] Which version to start with?

[Wayne]

On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 4:24 PM, Nick Hird  wrote:

> What is the best version of python to start out with? I see some
> discussions on the net about not going to 3.1 but staying with the 2.x
> releases. But then i see that 3.1 is better if your just starting.
> Thanks for any insight on which version to go with.
> -Nick
>

It used to be that few tutorials were updated to 3.x, but I know at least
Alan's is finished(right?).

The big issue with going to 3.1 is that most of the modules haven't been
ported yet, so if you want to use any cool 3rd party modules you may have
issues.

For beginning there's probably nothing wrong with 3.1, but I think I'd
recommend sticking with 2.6.

HTH,
Wayne
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Re: [Tutor] Which version to start with?

[Rich Lovely]

2009/10/5 Nick Hird :
> What is the best version of python to start out with? I see some
> discussions on the net about not going to 3.1 but staying with the 2.x
> releases. But then i see that 3.1 is better if your just starting.
> Thanks for any insight on which version to go with.
> -Nick
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I've got to say I think version 2.6 is the one to go with.  Yes, 3.1
has been out for a while now, so support for it is getting better, but
2.6 code is very much the same as 2.5, so support has been around for
much longer, and therefore will be much more stable.  The same applies
to tutorials:  As code has changed very little since 2.0, there are
likely to be less errors, and a much larger archive of questions asked
previously - most of the posts to this list, archived at
http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Browse/Threaded/python-Tutor
(among a few other places), are about 2.x code.

-- 
Rich "Roadie Rich" Lovely

There are 10 types of people in the world: those who know binary,
those who do not, and those who are off by one.
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