Req. for comments section "Basic Data" in intro book

[Alf P. Steinbach]

* Alf P. Steinbach:
> I added a section on "basic data" to ch 2 of my writings, an 
> introduction to programming (with Python as main language).
> 
> The intended reader is someone who is intelligent and wants to learn 
> programming but knows little or nothing about it.
> 
> As before it would be nice with feedback on this.
> 
> 
>   Format: PDF
>   <url: http://preview.tinyurl.com/ProgrammingBookP3>
> 
> 
> Current contents:
> 
> 1  Getting started.        1
> 1.1  Python variants, implementations and distributions.     1
> 1.2  Download and install a Python implementation.   2
> 1.3  Test-drive the Python interpreter.      2
> 1.4  Create and run a Python console program.        4
> 1.5  Syntax highlighting and programmers' editors.   6
> 1.6  Create and run a Python GUI program.    7
> 1.7  About compilation.      9
> 1.8  About  standalone Windows programs & other kinds.       10
> 1.9  Browse the local documentation. 11
> EOT 12
> 
> 2  Basic concepts. 1
> 2.1  Super-basic concept: why programming is not DWIM.       1
> 2.2  Reported errors.        4
> 2.2.1  Case-sensitity. 4
> 2.2.2  Syntax / compilation errors.    4
> 2.2.3  Runtime errors / crashes.       5
> 2.3  A programming exploration tool: turtle graphics.        6
> 2.4  Naming things.  8
> 2.4.1  Naming actions: routines.       8
> 2.4.2  Naming data part I: variables.  11
> 2.4.3  Naming data part II: routine arguments. 13
> 2.5  Controlling the flow of execution.      14
> 2.5.1  Repeating actions automatically: loops. 14
> 2.5.2  Basic comparisions & boolean values.    16
> 2.5.3  Interlude I: a function graph program / about types.    17
> 2.5.4  Automated action choices.       21
> 2.5.5  Value-producing (function-like) routines.       23
> 2.5.6  Interlude II: a graph with zeroes marked / about program 
> structure. 26
> 2.5.7  Dynamically nested actions: recursive routines. 28
> 2.6  Basic data.     36
> 2.6.1  Basic fundamental types / strings & concatenation.      36
> 2.6.2  Indexing and single characters (+ vaguely about sequences in 
> general). 39
> 2.6.3  Interlude III: a ROT-13 encryption/decryption program, 
> refactoring. 40
> 2.6.4  Attributes, methods, objects.   43
> 2.6.5  Doc strings.    44
> 2.6.6  Interlude IV: attribute names as strings, listing str attributes. 45
> 2.6.7  References.     46
> EOT 49
> 
> The section on "References", 2.6.7, is about references in Python, it's 
> not a list of references. :-)

Based on feedback I received in private communications I've improved (I hope) 
the wording in various places, and expanded a bit on the last section.

I've placed the latest version also in Google Docs, without yet removing the 
original  --  the file names are the same but they have different dates.

Comments welcome.


Cheers,

- Alf