[mikeshoup]

I've been reading my newly acquired book, Learning Python 2ed. by M. Lutz and D. Ascher, ISBN: 0-596-00281-5. I'm sitting here reading through it... hm. using indentation to seperate code blocks. Sounds, scary. After playing with it, and getting used to it, I'm like, that makes so much more sense than {}. It also makes code so much more readable.

Then there's things like lambdas. I probably spent like 5 minutes sitting here, saying, lambda lambda lambda.

Its really too late now. I should be going to bed.

 

[I-Chan]

Well, you can indent any language that i know of, and always has made it more readable .

 

[Boltzmann]

I've been interested in learning Python for some time now. I've to start somewhere, and I thought that Python would be a good language for someone with no programming experience like myself.

I just need the time

 

[scottlc]

Well, you can indent any language that i know of, and always has made it more readable .

He means that in Python, indentation is part of the syntax.

 

[mikeshoup]

Yeah, as scottlc indentation is part of the syntax, and is required. It requires less coding time, as a lot of editors will automatically indent for you if in Python mode, and you don't have to press shift+[ or ]. Plus, the lack of the hooks ({}) makes it easier to read. Python's list of builtin functions, and modules, and such, make it so awesome. Add that to the fact python has many oop features to it. Its a very well built, sound language. Granted, not as fast as C, or C++, but using psyco (a JIT) you can get really close.

 

[I-Chan]

I understood that it was part of the language's syntax, but really, i can't see how removing the hooks affects readability, so i thought you were talking about how indentation improves readability. I guess i won't understand it unless i try python someday.

 

[scottlc]

I may actually give Python a go. I'm a Perl coder myself, but I've heard a lot of good things about Python.

 

[Proto]

Indeed, I have been recently studying Python as part of my programming languages subjects and I have found it to be extremely easy to learn and work with. (Well I have prior C++ and Java experience but nevertheless it's syntax is rather intuitive, almost pseudoEnglish if you ask me)

In that subject I've been studying Scheme as well... even though it isn't that intuitive and it's syntax is rather strange (prefix notation to be exact (eg the sum is written + 3 5)) I liked it a lot... seemingly it's perfect for low level tasks, for example take a minimal time for things like arranging a list, even with a Bubble sort algorithm.

 

[Kirby]

I three have been looking into Python also. Reading some of the tutorials, it seems to be much more organized and simpler than the Visual Basic I learned a year ago

 

[mikeshoup]

Kirby, I actually suggest you shell out a few bucks and pick up a nice book on Python. The book is an O'Reilly book: "Learning Python", by M. Lutz, D. Ascher, ISBN: 0-596-00281-5

Its a good book for the not-so-experienced programmer.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596002815/104-2629161-3739135

 

[Kirby]

Kirby, I actually suggest you shell out a few bucks and pick up a nice book on Python. The book is an O'Reilly book: "Learning Python", by M. Lutz, D. Ascher, ISBN: 0-596-00281-5

Its a good book for the not-so-experienced programmer.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596002815/104-2629161-3739135

actually there were a bunch of books about Python I can take out at the library....now if I can only remember my pin number so I can place a hold on it

 

[scottlc]

Can't go wrong with O'reilly books.

 

[ArchIBaLD]

can you give me an example for what can i do with python?

 

[Death Metal]

can you give me an example for what can i do with python?

Well, from the very little I know about Python, although I can be all wrong, it's a web-oriented programming language running on the server side, just like ASP or PHP. You can code and generate dynamic HTML pages (for instance, this forum you're using is almost entirely formed of dinamically-generated pages, but it was written in PHP). If there are other uses to Python, I'm not in the know as of now.

I myself adore PHP, so I never really felt that curiosity to go fiddling with Python, but you guys sparked a little flame inside me. Guess I'll give some of it a look.

 

[DoktorSeven]

can you give me an example for what can i do with python?

Create a packaging system for a Linux distro; make a solitaire game; or a DDR clone...

 

[FLaRe85]

Well, from the very little I know about Python, although I can be all wrong, it's a web-oriented programming language running on the server side, just like ASP or PHP. You can code and generate dynamic HTML pages (for instance, this forum you're using is almost entirely formed of dinamically-generated pages, but it was written in PHP). If there are other uses to Python, I'm not in the know as of now.

I myself adore PHP, so I never really felt that curiosity to go fiddling with Python, but you guys sparked a little flame inside me. Guess I'll give some of it a look.

No, Python is a full-blown programming language.

 

[scottlc]

Yup, Python is a general purpose programming language. While it certainly can be used for web applications, that is not it's primary purpose. There is mod_python, and it can be used as a CGI interpreter. To answer ArchIBaLD's question, you can do pretty much anything that other languages such as Perl, Ruby etc... can achieve.

 

[Grv]

I've heard a countless number of times from other people that they heard that Python rocks..

Python's list of builtin functions, and modules, and such, make it so awesome.

..so I guess it's time to take a look. After I'm done with certain academic tasks, that is.