So you want to learn Python! Smart choice!

If you are experienced programmer in other languages, go directly to "Advanced" section of PythonBooks

This website is a guide for a computer enthusiast without programming experience (and without teacher) when learning Python. Which books are best? Where to start? Fear no more, you are at the right place -- we have the links: everything you need to get started, and succeed.

You need to learn:

• Language syntax (how to explain computer what you want to do)
• Data structures (how to model things in your programs)
• Problem solving (how to put syntax and data together, and how to find bugs)

Before you start

• Why programming - What new possibilities open for you if you can program?

• Why python - Python is the best first language. Python is easy to learn, yet scales well to real problems. It is also easy to read, so you learn by reading code of other people, and share code in teams. Python is popular in Google and Ubuntu.

• Compare Python - how python stands when compared with other languages?

• Other Languages - When to use other languages?

Let's start!

• How to start - how to install Python, your first Python editor, and first book

• Python Books - Books and tutorials for beginners and experienced programmers and other online and offline resources

• PythonTricks - common mistakes and gotchas

• RulesOfThumb -rules to make decisions simpler.

Solving problems

• RealLifeProblems - what problems real-life learners had, and how to fix them
• Course about debugging

• WebApplication - Two very simple web applications to get you started (3 and 35 lines long) and very simple web server.

• GuiBuilders - tools to build GUI applications

Program samples

• 15 simple programs
• Python Cookbook
• Python source examples

Data Structures

wikipedia - wikibooks - DataStructures

• Classic book Algorithms and Data Structures (pdf) by N. Wirth 1985.

• Foundation of Computer Science - comparing complexity of different algorithms.

Training tasks

Python, is like any other language: to learn it you need to use it: to solve some training problems.

• For beginners - some easy tasks to start your programming journey
• For advanced programmers - helping you to become expert
• Other sources of tasks to solve: iBiblio
• GameIdeas - simple non-GUI games. Avoid GUI for your first games, it adds to many complications.

• Tasks (or etudes, a term coined by excellend book Etudes for Programmers, one of the best programming books ever, long time out of print) with glowing reviews

Advanced topics

• Assignment - CreateObject
• PythonSpeed
• MultipleInheritance - ClassTricks - ListTricks - FloatTricks - TuningTricks - DecoratorTricks
• ErrorLogging - XML -
• AppEngine

Links, Feedback, question, suggestions, links

• AboutPython - misc links and articles
• Ask questions at Programming Talk Ubuntu Forum
• PythonTrivia

More info coming

• This wiki was created by collecting good information from many sources all over internet (starting with python.org ), many python blogs and mailing lists, and as result from discussions with great folks of Programming Talk forum best Linux distro: Ubuntu . If you don't use ubuntu yet, you are missing a lot!
• If you want to get in touch with me, try above forum, or email me at: learnpydia AT googlegroups DOT com

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