is something in the tutorials that's inscrutable, please talk about those.
not working for you.
You do make a fair request.
I'll make some comments about the primary tutorial.
Python Tutorial
Guido van Rossum
Python Software Foundation
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Fred L. Drake, Jr., editor
Release 2.4.2
28 September 2005
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Having the table of contents as hyperlinks is very good for using it as reference text. Thanks for that.
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2.1 Invoking the Interpreter
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is written with the unix programmer in mind.
I do understand some unix, since I used to work on a unix system. But now the only system
I have available is Microsoft windows.
In windows I invoke the interpreter by clicking on the Python icon, or by selecting from the program list menu.
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2.1.1 Argument Passing
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Since I do have some unix experience, I understand the idea of a script file, but even so, it's not clear what
should be in a Python script file.
Having some sample scripts in hyperlinks would be very useful.
The sample scripts could illustrate the different options and several simple Python commands by
doing trivial programming tasks like
Calculating powers of 3,
Calculating square and square root table
Sorting list by bubble sort method, etc.
Then these sample scripts could be referenced throughout the tutorial at the relevant places.
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2.1.2 Interactive Mode
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I understand this section. And I know how to do experiments in interactive mode to see what Phython does.
So far, the interactive mode has been more useful to me than the tutorial.
Perhaps as I gradually learn the Python philosophy and vocabulary, I'll more easily read
the current tutorial.
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2.2.1 Error Handling
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I skipped over this paragraph since I had not yet encountered any errors because I had not yet
written any programs.
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When an error occurs, the interpreter prints an error message and a stack trace. In interactive mode, it then returns to the primary prompt; when input came from a file, it exits with a nonzero exit status after printing the stack trace. (Exceptions handled by an except clause in a try statement are not errors in this context.) Some errors are unconditionally fatal and cause an exit with a nonzero exit; this applies to internal inconsistencies and some cases of running out of memory. All error messages are written to the standard error stream; normal output from executed commands is written to standard output.
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I observed this when my program caused errors.
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Typing the interrupt character (usually Control-C or DEL) to the primary or secondary prompt cancels the input and returns to the primary prompt.2.1Typing an interrupt while a command is executing raises the KeyboardInterrupt exception, which may be handled by a try statement.
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2.2.2 Executable Python Scripts
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Is written with unix programmer in mind. I imagine the windows programmer should use the dos prompt
for the equivalent. Or perhaps there is some way to invoke the script from the Python shell.
Examples should be given.
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At this point I just about gave up reading from cover to cover.
I have no idea what this paragraph is talking about.
Perhaps examples would have made the meaning clear.
Anyway, I continued scanning the tutorial, pausing when I read a section
I already knew something about.
So I learned that the Python shell can be used as a calculator, and learned that
almost all the arithmetical expressions I'm used to from programming in fortran
and C are valid in the shell.
I did not find out how to write programs in the shell from reading the tutorial. I needed your on line
assistance to find out how to do that.
Anyway, these are a few comments about the tutorial.
I am willing to continue with my critique of the tutorial if you wish. We could have
an ongoing dialogue, taking the tutorial one small piece at a time.
For I do wish to understand all of it, for I wish to write other programs in Python,
eventually using all the capabilities of Python.
Sincerly,
Kermit < [EMAIL PROTECTED] >
