> On Nov 7, 2020, at 9:51 AM, Riccardo Polignieri via Python-Dev
> <python-dev@python.org> wrote:
>
> My concern here is that if you start removing or simplifying some
> "too-difficult-for-a-tutorial" bits of information on an occasional basis,
> and without too much scrutiny or editorial guidance, you will end up loosing
> something precious.
I concur with you sentiments and do not want the tutorial to be dumbed down.
Here are a few thoughts on the subject:
* The word "tutorial" does not imply "easy". Instead it is a self-paced,
example driven walk-through of the language. That said, if the word "tutorial"
doesn't sit well, then just rename the guide.
* The world is full of well-written guides for beginners. The variety is
especially important because "beginner" means many different things: "never
programmed before", "casually checking out what the language offers", "expert
in some other language", "is a student in elementary school", "is a student in
high school", "is an electrical engineer needing write scripts", etc.
* One thing that makes the current tutorial special is that much of it was
written by Guido. Delete this text and you lose one of the few places where
his voice comes through.
* There is value in having non-trivial coverage of the language. When people
ask how __cause__ works, we can link to the tutorial. Otherwise, we have to
throw them to the wolves by linking to the unfriendly, highly technical
reference guide or to a PEP.
* For many people, our tutorial serves as the only systematic walk-through of
the language. If you decide to drop the mention of complex numbers, the odds
of a person ever finding about that capability drop to almost zero.
* My suggestion is that we add a section to the beginning of the tutorial with
external links elsewhere, "If you are ten years old, go here. If have never
programmed before, go here, etc"
* If you think the word tutorial implies fluffy and easy, then let's just
rename it to "Language walk-through with examples" or some such.
* FWIW, I've closely monitored the bug tracker daily for almost two decades.
We almost never get a user complaint that the tutorial is too advanced. For
the most part, it has long been of good service to users. Almost certainly it
can be improved, but hopefully not be dropping content.
Raymond
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