help on ultra newbie program please

[cybernut]

"Gerhard Häring" <gh at ghaering.de> wrote in message
news:mailman.1053536739.4538.python-list at python.org...
> cybernut wrote:
> > [Tried to solve a problem in a Python tutorial]
>
> Here's a solution using only "if" and "while" statements. I hope it's
> somewhat enlightening.
>
> #v+
> # The correct password. 'Constants' are usually named all-capital.
> CORRECT_PASSWORD = "unicorn"
>
> # Number of times the user tried entering a password. Zero at the start.
> tries = 0
>
> # Wether the password is entered correctly. Default to a logically false
> value.
> password_ok = 0
>
> # Execute the loop at most three times, and only as long as the correct
> # password hasn't been entered.
> while tries < 3 and not password_ok:
>      password = raw_input("Password:")
>      if password == CORRECT_PASSWORD:
>          password_ok = 1
>      tries += 1
>
> if password_ok:
>      print "Welcome!"
> else:
>      print "Go away!"
> #v-
>
> Don't worry if you can't solve some problems, yet. Learning to program
> is learning about patterns (think of building blocks). I'd call this one
> the "count and break at certain value" building block. You'll encounter
> it very often.
>
> These combiniations of control structures are kind of basic patterns.
> Soon you'll have learnt all control structures and from then on the
> major issue will be how to best organize your data :-)
>
> This is where OOP (object oriented programming) will eventually enter
> the game.
>
> -- Gerhard
>

I have one question about your code. I know it works because I tried, but I
don't understand one thing because I haven't come across it  yet in my
studies.

> if password_ok:
>      print "Welcome!"

What does that mean? if something == , != ect. something: makes sense to me,
but is that some kind of shortcut kind of like how you used tries += 1
instead of tries = tries +1? I don't understand what that is doing...

Thanks