MESSAGE
| DATE | 2006-06-09 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [carenas2@alumni.gs.columbia.edu: Re: [NYLXS - HANGOUT] Re: [nylug-talk] PIG in new york?]
|
This seminar approach seems personally more interesting to me, and it
seems could make better use of participants' knowledge and enthusiasm.
And thanks for doing the research on the books.
ca.
On 6/9/06, Dan Crosta wrote:
>Well -- just got back from B&N with the conclusion that none of the
>books they have there seem to fit what we want, or what I think we want:
>
>Learning Python (O'Reilly):
>A thorough and somewhat plodding explanation of the basic concepts of
>programming and their place and expression in Python. Doesn't get
>very far into the Python libraries, just covers the core language
>concepts. Latest edition covers Python 2.4.
>
>
>Dive Into Python (APress):
>As the name might imply, Dive Into Python gets started with fully
>working programs just beyond the toy program stage, and then goes on
>to explain concepts and practices using the many and long code
>listings. The physical volume is typeset in ... well, I can only call
>it an ugly way. I'd stick with the online version, which is freer
>anyway. It moves quickly through the intro stuff, and then explains
>in somewhat more depth Python's OOP, Exception structure,
>introspection, unit testing, etc. Finally, several chapters are spent
>on practical examples using library modules, mostly centered around
>HTML and web-related topics.
>
>
>Beginning Python (APress):
>A comprehensive if somewhat tedious exploration of Python for people
>with no programming experience or intuition at all. There's a lot of
>"which we'll learn more about later" in this book, which always
>bothers me but may not bother anyone else. Some interesting later
>chapters explore GUIs with wxPython, database connectivity, basics of
>network programming, etc. I wouldn't personally want to read this,
>but it might work for someone inexperienced.
>
>
>Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner (Course Technology):
>To be honest, I couldn't even look at what was in this book, the
>typesetting was so offensive. It was next to impossible to tell book
>text apart from in-text notes from footnotes from code listings. What
>I could manage to get through was highly didactic (as the title might
>have implied) and too "friendly" in a nudge-nudge kind of way.
>
>
>As I walked back from B&N, I thought some more about what the
>structure of this class/group might work out to be... maybe this is
>because I just got out of school myself, but I think we might get
>more mileage out of a seminar format. Let people get whatever books
>they feel comfortable with as a guide or reference (Learning Python
>is probably a good bet); for the first few weeks we can do a rough
>and quick introduction to Python for people who haven't had any or
>much experience with it, and then move on to more interesting topics.
>There are lots of papers available from PyCon's in the past 3 years,
>and probably more show up with a little time spent on Google.
>Alternately or additionally, we could pick a project or a few
>projects to work on as a group, and use that as a vehicle for
>learning Python pragmatically, rather than pedagogically.
>
>Thoughts?
>
>dsc
--
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