Python For Dummies First Edition

I'm not sure why this book got some bad reviews, because it will get you up and running with python. No, it won't make a programmer out of an absolute beginner, you need Chris Pine's 'Learn to Program' for that. But if you want a palatable and informative overview of Python, and how to work it, this book will do the trick.I got into Python because of the Raspberry Pi, but most Pi books treat Python in a pretty cursory manner. Yes, you'll be able to write "hello world" and put up a function or two, but if you really want to know what's under the hood you need more info. However, you don't need it served up in 1600 pages as one other introductory text attempts to do.Like most Dummy books, this one covers a pretty wide range of topics and does so in a fairly organized and presentable manner. Because there are so many headings (those 'clever' Dummy headings!!) you can flip and browse around in the book to your heart's content to get what you need. And the index, the bane of too many modern books, is a useful one.4/9/14- (An added note about the examples- they are very terse, sometimes only a line long, but if you look at the near-by text you can find the missing lines in other examples. You just need to stitch them together. ANother thing, sometimes important information is buried in a short, non-descript sentence that is easy to over look. If you are skimming, skim the text carefully!)The examples are short, apparently some folks don't like them, but I found they gave me the commands and syntax I needed in easy to find format. Personally I don't like the way the code is set off on grey blocks, it makes them easy to spot, but the reduced contrast and small type is hard on older eyes. It's a minor quibble, and its' a consistent style with Dummy books, part of their look.I was struggling with Python before I got this book, mainly from a lack of information. A couple hours with this book at the keyboard and the difference is night and day. Python has a lot going for it, and this book is a great way to find out how you can tap into its' power.I gave five stars because this book delivers, from the nuts and bolts of syntax, to the sweep and power of modules and the Python libraries.(4/9/14 Bottom line, after working with the book for about a month, it is a good intro to a complex subject. If you want to learn Python, this book will get you going.)

It's really surprisingly difficult for someone who has been programming for a long time to write about programming at a level appropriate for real beginners. The first time I taught a class full of beginners, I tried to take things as slow as possible. Then I spent the next week covering the material from the first day even slower.So when I was asked in 2007 to recommend a book to get for the participants in the Introduction to Python, I looked at all the ones I could find, but they all either assumed too much existing knowledge or covered material that would just confuse a beginner. Often both. But then Michael Bernstein pointed me to "Python for Dummies."If you're looking to teach beginners, or you're a beginner yourself, "Python for Dummies" is by far the best option. There's a few sections that are strikingly inappropriate for a book at its level (new-style classes!?) but it's still much, much better than any of the other books on the market in this respect.Note that since this hasn't been updated since 2006 it doesn't cover the very latest Python... but it's not super obsolete since Python forked into 2.x and 3.x. I'd still recommend starting here before supplementing with What's New In Python material.

This is the first Dummies book I’ve finished, and I own 3. However this is based off Python version 2 where the latest version is version 3, and from what the book says it was a major upgrade. So I can’t really knock the book when my codes failed. I read the book completely(2 books on Python) but find it still hard to swallow, African or European.

This is a good book. In some ways, this is a great book. Python is fine tool for all sorts of programming tasks. In general, Python is a super high-level language that is very (very) easy to program and use. Python is vastly slower than C/C++ (exceptions exist). However, Python is vastly more powerful. For many projects, programmer productivity is much more important than CPU utilization. Hence, the extensive use of Python for all sorts of tasks.This book is a great start for learning Python. After a few hours reading this book, any programmer should have no trouble being productive in Python. The "Dummies" books don't get a lot of respect. However, they are very, very useful for anyone with a real need to learn Python (or anything else).

The book is easy enough to follow and still has plenty of useful information, however be warned that it was written for older versions of Python. Some serious changes were made between Python 2 to Python 3. If you run into an issue as a result of these changes, you’re going to need to do a google search for a solution.

I love the “dummies” books. This is no exception. I bought two of them. One for me and another for my grandson who is learning coding. The books are at the same time easy to read, entertaining, instructive, and styled in a way that eliminates the usual boring style of other programming “how-to” books.

A typically great 'Dummies' book covering the basics of the Python programming language up to version 2.5. The examples are similar to the online tutorial, and the text flows smoothly for an easy read. The book also offers programming tips and some insight into using the Idle IDE and SQL. It does not cover GUI commands or Iron Python (the .NET version).Be sure to type enough of the examples to get used to the Python syntax while you're learning the structure.Tip: the free Notepad++ program also has Python syntax coloring and formatting capability under the 'Language' tab.