Programming intro book ch1 and ch2 (Windows/Python 3) - Request For Comments

[Alf P. Steinbach]

Hi, 10 details I forgot in my first response...

* John Posner:
> [...] Chapter 2, which current runs 98 pages!

The chapter 2 PDF I posted on

   <url: http://tinyurl.com/programmingbookP3>

was and is (it's not been updated) 101 pages, with an "-EOT-" at page 102.

I suspect you may have read the previous version.

However, I believe the only difference from the previous version is the added 
text, the last three pages, about dictionaries (associative arrays). Did your 
PDF have Lewis Carrol's Jabberwocky nonsense poem somewhere in the last three 
pages? I used that poem as an example text for word counting?


[snip]
> As I've said in this forum (and the edu-sig forum) before, I think the 
> best metaphor for understanding Python variable assignment is John 
> Zelle's yellow-sticky-note metaphor. [2]
[snip]
> 
> [2] "Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science" by John 
> Zelle (Franklin, Biddle & Associates, 2004) See Section 2.5.1, "Simple 
> Assignment"

I'm unable to find anything about yellow sticky-notes there! However, I can 
guess what it was about :-), and I only looked in a PDF I downloaded, which 
probably was illegal and manually typed in by some kid. He he, they do a great 
service for us who don't have ready continuous access to a university library!


Cheers,

- Alf

PS: Argh! Someone did it  --  serious programming intro based on Python  -- 
already! However, there's a difference between computer science and programming, 
as very clearly explained by Bjarne Stroustrup in his latest book; Zelle uses 
Python 2.x in Linux, while I use 3.x in Windows, more accessible to the average 
reader; Zelle's book seems to be at least partially assuming a school 
environment while what I'm writing is /meant/ to be sufficient for unassisted 
self study; and of course I think my progression is better, e.g. introducing 
loops and decisions very early. However, all those exercises... I wish 
Someone(TM) could cook up Really Interesting exercises for my manuscript! :-P