Learning Python
Now that I'm on the IronPython / DLR team, it seemed prudent to actually learn the Python language.
There are some good online tutorials, but I found the book "Learning Python" by Mark Lutz to be extremely good.
If you really want to learn the language, it's worth buying the book.
It's large and thorough, yet a fast read. Things I liked about the book:
- It was a well ordered guide through the language. It struck a good balance between spec and tutorial.
- It felt fairly complete. I didn't feel like it was avoiding the hard parts.
- It digs deep at the right spots. For example, it's very good about explaining exactly how symbol lookup occurs.
- Doesn't waste space on fluff.
- It injected a steady stream of extra trivia, such as comparisons for C programmers and python design patterns.
- It has little exercises at the end of the section for review.
I did all the exercises and experimenting with IronPython 1.1, which is a testimony IPY's fidelity to the original language.
After reading, further gaps can be filled in from https://www.python.org/doc/
C/C++, C#, and Python certainly have some similarities, but they all have very distinct idioms too. So comparing the languages should be rich blog fodder.
- Anonymous
November 18, 2007
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