How would you learn Python?

Frapple · 4 Oct 2010 at 13:13

Good afternoon all,

I'm looking to learn some programming on the side & by reading various threads here and general comments from the internet I've decided Python would be best. What would the best way to go about it?

I can probably put aside 1-2 hours a night & more on the weekends if it's not windy.

I've done various small bits of programming for work in VB.net & did a little C++ for my HND but consider me a complete novice when recommending literature.

I will check this thread but you can also get me at/on:

Steam: Frapple
E-mail: @gmail.com

Chaos · 4 Oct 2010 at 13:37

Head First Python book might be worth checking out, think it comes out next month.

BunnyKillBot · 4 Oct 2010 at 13:45

Definitely a book or internet guides will get you down on syntax and type-less scripting language basics. Beyond that though all languages are essentially the same, and bedding down with a beefy comp sci book to brush up on structures and advanced programming techniques is definitely beneficial.

From there, you can set yourself simple programming tasks like designing your own Stack, Queue or Linked List, maybe even using your implementation to create a simple game of snake.

Spyhop · 5 Oct 2010 at 03:58

"Learn Python The Hard Way" is by an interesting guy called Zed Shaw.

It's a response to the standard type of beginner book, so worth a try before you make a decision.

http://learnpythonthehardway.org/

Wang Computer · 5 Oct 2010 at 08:10

I used to use something called the Python Cookbook when I scripted a lot. It's not a tutorial as such but it has solutions to most real world problems I encountered along with explanations of the design patterns one should use. Most of it is available here strangely enough.