Terry Carroll wrote: > What I recommend is: > > 1) Get one book that's about Python, to learn from. An example, if you > already know how to program, would be Wes's Core Python book. Try to pick > one that's not too simple, because you'll want something that you can > still use once you know the language; alternatively, go the library route > to learn. > > 2) when you can do some simple stuff, you'll eventually want a reference > book: probably either Martelli's Python in a Nutshell or Beazley's Python > Essential reference.
I think I am in the minority, but I almost never use any Python reference book. It's not that I don't ever have to look anything up! I have a local copy of the Python HTML docs and shortcuts in the browser that let me find anything I need far faster than I could look it up in a book. If I can't find what I need in the standard docs, my next stop is probably Google or comp.lang.python or the Python Cookbook. I do own copies of of Python in a Nutshell, Python Essential Reference and Python Pocket Reference, I just find the online docs have much the same information in a much more accessible form. FWIW here are my Python bookmarks: module index - I don't actually use this one any more, see below file://localhost/Users/kent/Library/Documentation/Python-Docs-2.5/modindex.html built-in functions file://localhost/Users/kent/Library/Documentation/Python-Docs-2.5/lib/built-in-funcs.html built-in types - list, dict, string, etc file://localhost/Users/kent/Library/Documentation/Python-Docs-2.5/lib/types.html string methods file://localhost/Users/kent/Library/Documentation/Python-Docs-2.5/lib/string-methods.html overall doc index file://localhost/Users/kent/Library/Documentation/Python-Docs-2.5/index.html built-in exceptions file://localhost/Users/kent/Library/Documentation/Python-Docs-2.5/lib/module-exceptions.html comp.lang.python http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&c2coff=1&group=comp.lang.python I also have a shortcut set up so if I type py modulename in the Firefox address bar it takes me directly to the docs for that module. To do this, create a bookmark with this URL: file://localhost/Users/kent/Library/Documentation/Python-Docs-2.5/lib/module-%s.html and give it the keyword 'py'. Another shortcut looks up the module in the online docs, useful if I want to give a link to someone else: http://docs.python.org/lib/module-%s.html Kent _______________________________________________ Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor
