[Edu-sig] Python for non-programmers

[Dustin James Mitchell]

On Wed, 1 Mar 2000, Jeffrey Elkner wrote:

> I don't mean to be contrary, Kirby, but I was actually disappointed
> with "Learning Python" in the sense that it still does make a lot of
> assumptions about the background of its readers.  There are frequent
> references to other programming languages throughout (offered as
> comparison with Python) and I found the text to still be very
> intimidating for beginners in much the same way that Dennis talks
> about the on-line docs.  There really is no good beginners book using
> Python yet, but of the existing books the one I like best is "The
> Quick Python Book" by Kenneth McDonald and Daryl Harms.  While it is
> certainly not perfect, I found this to be the clearest and easiest to
> read of the books that are out there.

I have to agree.  I found "Learning Python" to be very inconsistent in its
assumptions of its reader.  As an expert programmer who had not used
Python before, I found the book alternately condescending and baffling.
There are sections which are at the right level for a programming novice,
but they appear on the same pages as sections for seasoned Python
programmers, even in the beginning of the book.

Dustin

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|                         Dustin Mitchell                )O(        |
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