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Python @ Web Programming
Programming Shed : Programmer Store & Resources |
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Python Index - Python Book :
Learning Python (Help for Programmers)
by Mark Lutz, David Ascher, Frank Willison (Editor) Paperback: 366 pages Dimensions (in inches): 0.78 x 9.18 x 7.06 Publisher: O'Reilly & Associates ISBN: 1565924649; (April 9, 1999) The authors of Learning Python show you enough essentials of the Python scripting language to enable you to begin solving problems right away, then reveal more powerful aspects of the language one at a time. This approach is sure to appeal to programmers and system administrators who have urgent problems and a preference for learning by semi-guided experimentation. First off, Learning Python shows the relationships among Python scripts and their interpreter (in a mostly platform-neutral way). Then, the authors address the mechanics of the language itself, providing illustrations of how Python conceives of numbers, strings, and other objects as well as the operators you use to work with them. Dictionaries, lists, tuples, and other data structures specific to Python receive plenty of attention including complete examples. Authors Mark Lutz and David Ascher build on that fundamental information in their discussions of functions and modules, which evolve into coverage of namespaces, classes, and the object-oriented aspects of Python programming. There's also information on creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for Python applications with Tkinter. In addition to its careful expository prose, Learning Python includes exercises that both test your Python skills and help reveal more elusive truths about the language. Book Description: Learning Python is an introduction to the increasingly popular Python programming language, an interpreted, interactive, object- oriented, and portable scripting language. This book thoroughly introduces the elements of Python: types, operators, statements, functions, modules, and exceptions. It also demonstrates how to perform common programming tasks and write real applications. Ingram: "Learning Python" is an introduction to the increasingly popular Python programming language--an interpreted, interactive, object-oriented, and portable scripting language. This book thoroughly introduces the elements of Python. It also demonstrates how to perform common programming tasks and write real applications. Book Info: Provides a description of the basic building blocks of a Python program. Introduces more advanced topics, including some complex, realworld examples and shows programmers how to use Python with specialized libraries to build largescale applications. Customer Reviews Reviewer: scriptcoder from Chino, CA United States Mark Lutz and David Ascher deliver precisely the needed information to meet the objective stated on the cover of the O'Reilly text, "Learning Python" (Help for Programmers). A succinct, yet thorough treatment of the Python programming language is presented in some 350-plus written pages that are well organized and facilitate the development of Python programs in a "Read and Code as You Go" fashion. After spot reading the Chapters on "Getting Started", "Types And Operators", "Basic Statements", "Functions", "Modules" and "Common Tasks In Python", I was coding and running my first text file I/O Python programs within the first half of a day. The authors concise presentation of the concepts definitely facilitated the "learning curve", which so often is an obstacle when learning a new programming language. The material was also indexed very well with clear index descriptions to easily determine what the topic was and where to find it. What I found to be the strongest point of the book were the "Gotchas" sections, in which the authors discussed topics such as Python Language Constructs, Program Class Usage and Coding Practices to be aware of. I found the "Common Coding Gotchas" section at the end of Chapter 3 of great benefit in coding and debugging my first self-authored Python programs (As I learned, Python is definitely a language where you want to indent consistently, avoid the mixing of blank spaces with tabs and not forget the use of colons to denote decision logic). The application of these concepts alone were a great asset in reducing the "Learning Curve" for me. The program examples provided reinforced the clear, concise concepts presented by the authors. The programs that I studied were suited to running in both a Linux environment (using Linux Python Version 1.5.2 for SuSE(tm) Linux 7.0 and Red Hat(tm) Linux 6.1) and MS Windows(tm) NT/98 (using Active State's Active Python(tm) Version 2.1). Exercises presented at the end of the chapter were effective at reinforcing the programming concepts presented. With some supplemental tutorial material for non-programmers, this book could be used as an educational text for a Python programming class, particularly one geared for programmers with scripting language experience. The authors did a good job of covering a number of topics important to application programmers. Object-oriented Constructs, Manipulation of String Objects, Operating System Module Use, GUI Programming Component Frameworks and Applications such as Tkinter and JPython are discussed to provide the reader a good exposure to the extent of the Python language implementation and its strenght as a robust, object-oriented scripting language. The book is definitely an invaluable resource for providing the essential material necessary to construct your first Python programs, especially if you've had prior programming experience with other scripting languages, such as REXX, Javascript or Perl. Definitely one of the best O'Reilly publications I've read to date. Kudos to Mr. Lutz and Mr. Ascher for their contribution to making the experience of "Learning Python" a fun and productive pursuit. Five Stars! Reviewer: Alessandro Bottoni from Ferrara, Italy Together with "Perl: the programmer's companion", by Nigel Chapman, this is one of the best introductory book I ever read. If you already know "Programming Python", the previous book of Mark Lutz on Python, and are concerned about the possibility that this book was just another messy collection of concepts and tips, relax: this is a completely different object. "Learning Python" is a well-designed, well-written and concise book. It gives you all you need to write system administration utilities, Internet-related programs and other small applications. (Should you need a book on TKinter, the standard GUI module of Python, buy "Python and TKinter programming, by John Grayson", Manning publisher). Consider to buy this book because: - It is clear and well written. No struggles to understand the basic concepts and having the first programs running. - It is well-designed and well-structured. You can find the info you need in a snap. - You get a real understanding of Python, not only a description of its nice features. - It is concise. In a day or two you will be coding in Python. - It is a very good guide to keep on your desk. It is the missing part of the online documentation. - In describes how to perform the most common task with Python. You will not have to reinvent any wheel. - It describes a few important modules of Python: JPython, TKinter and COM. You can get a feeling of what you can do with Python (but, to go further, you will have to read the online documentation and perform a few experiments by yourself). Python is a very smart language and deserved a better book than "Programming Python". This is that book. Reviewer: A reader from Sao Paulo, Brazil You can learn Python from this book. However, this is not one of those books which capture your attention, like, say, Kernighan's books, or even "Learning Perl". You have to fight against this book. This is mainly for the following reasons, IMHO: 1. Jargon is used too frequently. If you are not a hacker (in the good, original sense) you have to work against the language (not Python, English!), too. I had to reach for the "Hacker's Dictionary", now and then. For instance, the word "hook" is used in a technical sense without being explained. 2. Object is never defined. In the "official" tutorial, which is much shorter, a clear and concise definition is given. This is badly needed, for "object", in the python world, is different that in C++, or smalltalk, world, where it is a class instance. In python it is the triple (type, address, value). 3. Phrases like "Classes are mostly just namespace" don't help the beginner who wants to know what distinguishes a concept from another. These abstractions are premature. 4. The too frequent use of Monthy Python terms like "spam" and "eggs" is ridiculous, and makes the examples seem totally useless pieces of programming. So, I think this book is perfect for one who is a personal programmer and wants to learn quickly what Python is all about. He will probably like the book for the very reasons I complain against it. The subtitle is correct: Help for Programmers. Still, you'll learn the language. But with a fight! Reviewer: Wayne Vovil from Forrestfield, WA Australia I've seen the rest; this is the best. A colleague and I decided to concentrate on Learning Python for the next few months. We have used a few books; none of these comes close to this book. This is the ONLY book I would recommend for learning Python provided you already had some programming experience with another language. |
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