Feedback wanted on programming introduction (Python in Windows)

[Alf P. Steinbach]

* eb303:
> On Oct 28, 7:52 am, "Alf P. Steinbach" <al... at start.no> wrote:
> [snip]
>> But since I don't know much Python -- I'm *learning* Python as I write -- I know
>> that there's a significant chance of communicating misconceptions, non-idiomatic
>> ways to do things, bad conventions, etc., in addition to of course plain errors
>> of fact and understanding in general, to which I'm not yet immune...
>>
>> So I would would be very happy for feedback.
> 
> OK, I'll start the flame war then: I can see the purpose of section
> 1.5, but from the end of the 3rd paragraph, you seem to go into
> religious matters rather than actual facts, which seems to me a bit
> out of place in a book only supposed to teach programming. Basically
> saying that any "serious" program has to be written in a statically
> typed language

No, I didn't write that.


> and that such a language kind of automatically makes
> the development faster and the quality higher

No, I didn't write that.


> is just not true from my experience,

Yes, that's a strawman  --  nearly always good in flame wars. ;-)


> and from the experience of many people on this group, I
> guess. IMNSHO, the 4th paragraph of section 1.5 in its current form is
> highly subjective and should be completely rewritten, if not simply
> removed.

Just to fuel the flame war, consider a million line Python system. It's not 
uncommon with C++. :-)


> Sorry if that sounds rough: I've seen this written too many times
> (usually without any argumentation, BTW) and it has a tendency to make
> me a little upset.

Sorry if the above sounds a little harsh, but, u know, flame wars & all that. He 
he. Thanks anyway!


Cheers,

- Alf