[Tutor] Query to the tutor mailing list

[Joe Gamman]

hi,
long time lurker, first time poster. i apologise in advance if this has come
up before and i haven't seen it.
i'm interested in learning python purely as an intellectual excercise -
writing small scripts in a 'crossword puzzle per day' kind of thing (i have
a long train commute ;-).
if i get to the point where i can actually do something useful, that would
be nice but would be an emergent property of the puzzles, not the aim
(although with enough 'puzzles', the distinction becomes moot).
i've been lurking and every time i see something that i can have a good
chance of doing, i have a go.  my problem is that with my limited
programming experience (<25 hours), i am quickly out of my depth and
defining my own questions at this level is often an excercise in futility.
Similar with the majority of the tutor issues.

my question is this: would the tutor FAQ have a use for a collection of
excercises/puzzles that could reasonably be expected to be completed in less
than say, 20 mins (a nice sized intellectual chunk for someone that doesn't
code for a day job) for someone with x hours programming experience?
i would suspect that at a certain point (>50 hours?), a newbie would have
the momentum to start teaching themselves via documentation and leveraging
the tutor mailing list.

it's probably hard for the tutors here to remember just how difficult it is
to get that critical mass needed to really start teaching yourself.  an
upside to creating a puzzle FAQ would allow concepts to flow naturally as
the complexity of the problem increases and newbies could share a common
experience curve.  i'm not trying to suggest a one-size-fits-all list, more
of a puzzle-soup where you can wander as your self-learning flows.  i would
imagine designing a nice discreet puzzle to illustrate or challenge a
programming concept might be an enjoyable pass time for some people.  a good
puzzle is one where you know you have a good chance of success - too big a
jump and frustration saps your motivation.

I heartily approve of the python challenge and perhaps more of these would
be a suitable way to do this.  I've tried the cookbook but most of the
problems are beyond me at this stage so i can't self study the code for
hints.
Anyway, would appreciate any comments on the idea.

cheers,
joe
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mail.python.org/pipermail/tutor/attachments/20060824/5aee54c5/attachment.html