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Title: Learn to Program Using Python: A Tutorial for Hobbyists, Self-Starters, and All Who Want to Learn the Art of Computer Programming by Alan Gauld ISBN: 0-201-70938-4 Publisher: Pearson Educational Pub. Date: 15 January, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $32.95

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Average Customer Rating: 3.82 (22 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent intro to programming and Python
Comment: I've taught beginning programming at the Junior College level, and not a one of the texts I selected, were as lucid and well written as this one.

Especially strong in the introduction of Object programming, the author excels at terse yet appropriate code examples.

I'm recommending this book to everyone I know.

Rating: 5
Summary: If you're afraid that you can't program, this book is for yo
Comment: Well, this books wouldn't be useful for everyone, but I'm convinced that it's even invaluable for some of us. I can testify it. Before reading this book, I've been long afraid I couldn't really understand programming ... I had some traumatic experiences with C and Perl (What awful choices ...) But now, my such fear is all gone. Yes, I can do that!

I appraise the author made a right choice on Python as the reference language. It's probably ideal for his purposes. But because this isn't intended as a serious introduction to Python as a really powerful language, you'll eventually need other good introductory books on Python itself, maybe Learning Python from O'Reilly?

No matter how deeply the author is appreciating many problems beginners face, he is far from catching on everything. Actually, he misses some crucial aspects in programming that really make beginners complaint "Nooooo, I don't get this!!!!". For instance, he avows he can't get why it's so hard for beginners to understand what files are, saying the concept of "files" is exactly the same as files used in Microsoft Office, for example. I think he is wrong here, probably being too accustomed to common practice in programming. If my case can be generalized, beginners can't have any idea of "opening" files without "reading" them!! It is just assumed that the content of a file is out there once it is opened. But this ISN'T true (at least in Python) and this distinction of "open a file" from "read a file" is really puzzling for beginners.

Even with a few weaknesses of the kinds mentioned, this book surely lays excellent foundations to higher level programming in other languages to many readers. I have no hesitation to recommend this book even to friends or collegues who are alergic to programming.

Rating: 3
Summary: Not really for the novice
Comment: As a slightly experienced C programmer and a somewhat experienced Python programmer, I found this book useful. It described Python's features and at the same time put them in the larger context of what modern computer languages do. Like several other reviewers, however, I think the level of this book would be far too intimidating for someone learning to program for the first time. Also, for me the final section of the book ("Case Studies") delved too deeply into object-oriented and GUI issues not directly relevant to my work, and I put the book aside at that point. Bottom line: a nice recap but not really for the novice.

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