[Tutor] Should a beginner learn Python 3.x

[bibi midi]

On Sun, Nov 15, 2009 at 10:37 AM, wesley chun <wescpy at gmail.com> wrote:

> >> My brother in law is learning python.  He's downloaded 3.1 for
> >> Windows, and is having a play.  It's already confused him that print
> >> "hello world" gives a syntax error....
> >>
> >> He's an absolute beginner with no programming experience at all.  I
> >> think he might be following 'Python Programming for the Absolute
> >> Beginner", or perhaps some online guides.  Should I advise him to
> >> stick with 2.6 for a bit, since most of the material out  there will
> >> be for 2.x?  Or since he's learning from scratch, should he jump
> >> straight to 3.x
>
>
> good question, and already well-answered by most. i'll chime in with a
> few remarks too. basically, if he is really starting from scratch,
> i.e., no preexisting codebase, not using it for work, etc., then
> there's no harm in starting using 3.x as long as you give the caveat
> that most tutorials and source out there is still 2.x. 3.x has not
> gained widespread adoption yet because not all of the lower-level (nor
> higher-level) libraries, packages, and modules have been ported to 3.x
> yet.
>
> i gave a talk recently about this very topic (
> http://siliconvalley-codecamp.com/Sessions.aspx?OnlyOne=true&id=227 )
> and will repeat it again at PyCon 2010 in Atlanta (
> http://us.pycon.org/2010/conference/talks -- see session #48 ).
>
> i get asked this question a lot, esp. when it pertains to my book,
> "Core Python Programming." which should i learn? is your book
> obsolete? etc. i basically tell them that even though they are
> backwards-incompatible, it's not like Python 2 and 3 are sooooo
> different that you wouldn't recognize the language anymore! as Kris
> has said, there are just a handful of noticeable difference that you
> have to just keep in mind. finally, the next edition of the book will
> definitely be BOTH Python 2 and 3. Python 2 isn't EOL'd and will be
> around for awhile longer -- the most important evidence of this being
> that both 2.x and 3.x are being developed in parallel.
>
> hope this helps!
> -- wesley
>


I just ordered your great book 2nd edition. I dont know if i should get
worried using a dated version. All i want is to learn the language. The
transition process (i think) should just follow normally once you learn the
language. So far I'm just a newbie trying to learn.
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