A Python quote I liked by, I think, Michael Hudson was, (loose quote, I can't dig it up):
"Python blurs the line between programming a computer, and using a computer". Relevant, as I realize that my approach to learning Python has been closer to learning a software application than the traditional approach to learning to program and learning a programming language. For better and worse, I guess. Probably because I learned a number of software applications - some complex - before I ever sat down to learn "to program". And in thinking back, I think what worked for me about Python - and why I found myself comfortable with it quickly - was that it seemed to respond to that approach. Treat it as an application and I am not doing anything I haven't done before - just learning a different kind of application. And maybe that's were I fell off the "Python is easy" bus - it's a relatively hard application to learn. But for me - at least - a hard application is easier to learn than an easy programming language ;) I focus on having a dialog with Python's behavior. And that is conducted mostly by throwing code at it, and then registering the result - until I zone in more and more finely on controlling the result by controlling the code I throw at it. effbot once accused me of not understanding Python because I said something that indicated I didn't understand duck typing - at least in the way he understands it should be understood. And my feeling was that to the extent I understand how Python behaves, given code as input, and if Python is behaving in a manner that is called duck typing - then I understand duck typing. I felt this is worth posting/ thinking about - because as it is, most folks have learned some relatively complex applications before ever thinking about programming. My son has, my wife has - personal frame of reference-wise. And it seems to me that if the approach to teaching Python was more toward Python as an application, than as a "programming language", better results might be achievable for a wider range of people. FWIW. Art _______________________________________________ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
