a python book hint

[Eduardo Patto Kanegae]

Hello,

I have been programming with Visual Basic and PHP in the last 5 years and some folks had recommended Python a free language....

I had looked for a Python book to start up but found many titles...

so, my question finally is: what book could be for a Python beginner - but NOT a programming beginner - which intends to develop *windowed* Python programms and intends to develop for Windows and for Linux?

for example, look at Thuban software ( http://thuban.intevation.org/ ) which runs on Linux and Win plataforms.

thanks in advance.

Eduardo Patto Kanegae
http://www.consultoria.eti.br - BRASIL
Fórum ptMapServer - http://www.consultoria.eti.br/mapserverptforum/
ClickBrasil - http://www.consultoria.eti.br/clickbrasil/
*************** *************** *********
***Fim da Mensagem / End of Message ***
*************** *************** *********

[Alex Martelli]

Eduardo Patto Kanegae wrote:

Hello,

I have been programming with Visual Basic and PHP in the last 5 years and
some folks had recommended Python a free language....

I had looked for a Python book to start up but found many titles...

so, my question finally is: what book could be for a Python beginner -
but NOT a programming beginner - which intends to develop *windowed*
Python programms and intends to develop for Windows and for Linux?

for example, look at Thuban software ( http://thuban.intevation.org/ )
which runs on Linux and Win plataforms.

Hetland's "Practical Python" is a good book, particularly if you like
_meaty_ examples (my own "Python in a Nutshell" has less purely tutorial
material, and the examples are small, illustrating single simple points;
thus, it's more of a "concise desktop reference" than an introduction).

Most other books are unfortunately a bit dated, but these two do cover
Python 2.2 (and the current 2.3 has basically no language-level changes
wrt to 2.2 -- it's mostly faster and more robust, with small additions
to the built-ins and more substantial ones to the standard library).
Alex

[Cameron Laird]

In article <tj************ *******@news1.t in.it>,
Alex Martelli <al***@aleax.it > wrote:

Eduardo Patto Kanegae wrote:

[Nick Vargish]

Alex Martelli is too modest about his own book, so let me tout it
here...

Python in a Nutshell is an excellent reference, with quite a bit of
expository material. It has examples, and details of how much of the
standard library works. If you're experienced with other languages, it
and the official tutorial should be more than enough to get you into
the swing of things. The tutorial can be found at:

http://www.python.org/doc/current/tut/tut.html

The Python Cookbook (which Alex edited and contributed to) is still my
favorite Python book. It's chock-full of useful real-world
recipes. Many of them are quite mind-expanding, and demonstrate in
concrete ways how to get the most out of Python.

Nick

--
# sigmask || 0.2 || 20030107 || public domain || feed this to a python
print reduce(lambda x,y:x+chr(ord(y )-1),' Ojdl!Wbshjti!=o bwAcboefstobudi/psh?')

[Cameron Laird]

In article <m3************ @tanelorn.bande rsnatch.org>,
Nick Vargish <na*******@band ersnatch.org> wrote:

Alex Martelli is too modest about his own book, so let me tout it
here...

Python in a Nutshell is an excellent reference, with quite a bit of
expository material. It has examples, and details of how much of the

[Aubrey Hutchison]

"Eduardo Patto Kanegae" <ed*****@consul toria.eti.br> wrote in message news:ma******** *************** *************@p ython.org...

Hello,

I have been programming with Visual Basic and PHP in the last 5 years and some folks had recommended Python a free language....

I had looked for a Python book to start up but found many titles...

so, my question finally is: what book could be for a Python beginner - but NOT a programming beginner - which intends to develop *windowed* Python programms and intends to develop for Windows and for Linux?

for example, look at Thuban software ( http://thuban.intevation.org/ ) which runs on Linux and Win plataforms.

thanks in advance.

Eduardo Patto Kanegae
http://www.consultoria.eti.br - BRASIL
Fórum ptMapServer - http://www.consultoria.eti.br/mapserverptforum/
ClickBrasil - http://www.consultoria.eti.br/clickbrasil/
*************** *************** *********
***Fim da Mensagem / End of Message ***
*************** *************** *********

I am sorry to say -- I have the same basic problem...

It appears that if you want to read about
1)--perl
2)--"C"
3)--jokes in a techinical book
4)-- British TV
5)-- Family history stuff
6)-- and so on.....
then purchase any of the sorted books on Python.

But if you want a book like, for example the manuals of the old Microsoft Quickbasic which sticks to the core subject, that presents Python such as;
"This is Python"
the book is hidden in the market place or has not been written yet.
I have search and amoung all I have collected, you still need to use more than one to fully understand or use Python.

Aubrey Hutchison

[Cameron Laird]

In article <_f************ ********@comcas t.com>,
Aubrey Hutchison <ab*****@comcas t.net> wrote:

[Alex Martelli]

Cameron Laird wrote:

In article <_f************ ********@comcas t.com>,
Aubrey Hutchison <ab*****@comcas t.net> wrote: ...

It appears that if you want to read about
1)--perl
2)--"C"
3)--jokes in a techinical book
4)-- British TV
5)-- Family history stuff
6)-- and so on.....

... ? I don't think I understand. I believe you're saying that
such books as *Python in a Nutshell*, *Core Python Program-
ming*, *Text Processing in Python*, *Learn to Program Using
Python*, ... fail to "stick to the core subject". Do I have
that right? What do you see as examples of this fault?

"Python in a Nutshell" _DOES_ show how to extend Python
with C (chapter 24, 35 pages out of 636), thus presumably
hitting Aubrey's trigger [2]; does mention and thanks some
relatives in one line in the Acknowledgments , thus presumably
hitting trigger [5]; does take half a page to (e.g.) explain
about HTTP cookies rather than requiring the reader to be
totally familiar with them, thus presumably hitting trigger
[6]. I _think_ my editor managed to find and zap all of my
few attempts at dry humor, and the book surely has nothing
about perl nor British TV, but still, it's not _100%_
Python: I would guess _about_ 93.2% or so (if one considers
"extending Python with C" to be "not Python" -- alas, the
subject is FAR too useful to many readers for me to ever
consider removing it, as, I believe, are the brief capsules
or URLs about not-familiar-to-ALL technologies which I have
before expanding on how Python interfaces to them...).
Alex

[Alex Martelli]

Nick Vargish wrote:

Alex Martelli is too modest about his own book, so let me tout it
here...
Heh, first time I've ever been accused of _THAT_ defect -- modesty!

I appreciate the kudos, and I _have_ heard from several people who
actually taught themselves Python with the "Nutshell", but my opinion
is that those people are _pretty smart_ ones (as well, probably, as
experienced). Beginners were _not_ the target audience for "Python
in a Nutshell". Of course, sufficiently smart people can and do
teach themselves subjects from reference books (particularly books that
are reasonably clear and well-structured), even subjects more arcane
than Python, which, after all, IS a language designed to be simple
to learn. However, I suspect they're a minority.

Fortunately is IS quite easy to check: e.g. you can visit
safari.oreily.c om, subscribe, and read Python in a Nutshell (and/or
many, MANY other books) online for 2 weeks; be sure to cancel the
subscription within 14 days, though, unless you appreciate the
Safari site enough to pay for it -- only the first 2 weeks are
free! Still, 2 weeks should be plenty for you to determine if
the Nutshell (or any other book you're considering) is in fact
going to be helpful to you personally -- browsing in a store has
the advantage of letting you check the physical layout &c, but
most stores would complain if you kept browsing for 2 weeks!-)

The Python Cookbook (which Alex edited and contributed to) is still my
favorite Python book. It's chock-full of useful real-world
recipes. Many of them are quite mind-expanding, and demonstrate in
concrete ways how to get the most out of Python.

Again, thanks. The Cookbook is on Safari, too, by the way -- so
you don't need to purchase it "blindly" based on favourable reviews,
either; you can check it out for yourself.
Alex

[Alex Martelli]

Cameron Laird wrote:
...

Hetland's "Practical Python" is a good book, particularly if you like ...Most other books are unfortunately a bit dated, but these two do cover

... David's book is as current as any, but lacks the
GUI-for-Windows emphasis the original poster ap-
parently wishes.

David Mertz, that is, not David Ascher. If this
were a voice posting it'd be obvious.

True -- silly me; David Mertz's "Text Processing in Python" is indeed
current (and also readable online). I don't think of it as suitable
for beginners, but it IS actually possible to teach yourself Python
from David's Appendix A, at least in theory (it _is_ a bit "short and
impressionistic " for that, as its title suggests, but still...).
Alex