Python beginning language

[DotoreN]

Ok well I first thought I was going to start Java but a lot of people recommended Python to me as it learns better to 'think' like a programmer. 

 

Are there any good books, sites (courses) out there for Python (or java) that are not outdated?

 

Also why would someone take Python over Java for example ? I know they're all different programming languages, but what can you do with Python ?

 

It's not like I want to make something out of the language Python, but I just want to understand programming and I have to start somewhere. Also if I can program in Python, is it possible to make an easy transition to for example Java or C#?

 

Tips & Advice is welcome!

 

Programming is kinda hard if you're not fimilar with it.

[henrikfraannk]

Python is a great language, and very easy to learn. But i would recommend Java if you really want the Object-oriented thinking. Or C#.. Almost the same as java. If you want a good java book, i can highly recommend Levis, John - Java Foundation, third edition. It's a quite expensive book, but really great book, that covers most common methods and best practice! Have fun!

[Sir Asvald]

Ok well I first thought I was going to start Java but a lot of people recommended Python to me as it learns better to 'think' like a programmer. 

 

Are there any good books, sites (courses) out there for Python that are not outdated?

 

Also why would someone take Python over Java for example ? I know they're all different programming languages, but what can you do with Python ?

 

It's not like I want to make something out of the language Python, but I just want to understand programming and I have to start somewhere. Also if I can program in Python, is it possible to make an easy transition to for example Java or C#?

 

Tips & Advice is welcome!

 

Programming is kinda hard if you're not fimilar with it.

You can use http://www.codecademy.com/

[DotoreN]

You can use http://www.codecademy.com/

 

I have the feeling codeacademy skips a lot of valueable information.. in their practice courses it's really straight forward and I was able to complete a lot of questions/tasks while I had no idea what I was doing..

 

I want to learn programming, not doing/making code while I don't even know what it does.

[EpicAdom]

I have the feeling codeacademy skips a lot of valueable information.. in their practice courses it's really straight forward and I was able to complete a lot of questions/tasks while I had no idea what I was doing..

 

I want to learn programming, not doing/making code while I don't even know what it does.

I'm using this pdf to learn python. It's thorough and I've learned a lot already. I'm about halfway through.

[MrSuperb]

Learn Python the Hard Way
http://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/

gets recommended quite often as well.

the html is free.

 

@DotoreN

[DotoreN]

Learn Python the Hard Way

http://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/

gets recommended quite often as well.

the html is free.

 

@DotoreN

 

is learnpythonthehardway a really good way of learning python without any pre-experience with programming? 

[MrSuperb]

is learnpythonthehardway a really good way of learning python without any pre-experience with programming?

 

 

from http://learnpythonthehardway.org/ :

Made for beginners who know nothing about programming.

Not a book claiming to be for beginners but really for programmers.

This book works, and will teach you the basics of programming better than any other book out there.

[olbaze]

Personally, I minored in CS at university, which meant learning Java. I decided to try Python after a friend showed me a piece of Python code that looked astonishingly simple in comparison to what I was used to seeing in Java.

 

After some googling around, I found a few resources and chose the following:

• Non-Programmer's Tutorial to Python: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Non-Programmer%27s_Tutorial_for_Python_2.6.pdf
• Learn Python The Hard Way: http://learnpythonthehardway.org/book
• Tutorialspoint: http://www.tutorialspoint.com/python/

Having taken a beginner course in Java with command line, I opted to use an IDE instead. IDLE is good enough for small stuff, but since I wanted to do some organized projects, I went with PyCharm. After I had read up on Python, I picked up Project Euler (https://projecteuler.net/about) to get some practice in. Currently my goal is to transcribe all of the stuff I've done in Java (very limited, admittedly) into Python so that I can completely ditch Java.

 

Python is a lot cleaner and simpler than Java. Some things that I've used and absolutely love about Python include integers (you don't need to specify the size), random numbers (getting a random integer from a certain range), taking input from users (no need for Scanners).

[DotoreN]

It all depends on what ya want to do.  Do you want solve problems, or do you want to make code interact with objects?  Then it all comes down to narrowing what you want to do from there.  Books generally don't target the language as a whole in a single book, so you'd need a series.  It's easier/better to focus on what you want to develop, and that comes in handy in also narrowing down the language.

 

I have the feeling that if I have something in mind what I want to make... without any experience in programming that i'm like thrown into the deep. I think you need to think like a programmer first and know some basics before doing that. I also don't know what i'm going to make yet (I actually do but it's really complicated), thus i'd just want to learn a language first, nothing specific and idc what i'm going to make in the end... aslong as it's programming and I actually learn from it.

[Sumsar]

Ok well I first thought I was going to start Java but a lot of people recommended Python to me as it learns better to 'think' like a programmer. 

 

Are there any good books, sites (courses) out there for Python (or java) that are not outdated?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0321884914/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=08X1A62NQ6DTG5M40918&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=455333147&pf_rd_i=468294

 

I've heard great, and bad things about this book.

 

You could also go to http://www.codecademy.com/, and learn Python there. I recommend getting a book, though.

[DotoreN]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0321884914/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=08X1A62NQ6DTG5M40918&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=455333147&pf_rd_i=468294

 

I've heard great, and bad things about this book.

 

You could also go to http://www.codecademy.com/, and learn Python there. I recommend getting a book, though.

 

How is Lynda.com compared to codeacdemy?

 

also.. yes I'd like a book.. but idk which one. I'm kind of open to any language as I just want to make a headstart in my programming study that i'm starting soon.

[Sumsar]

How is Lynda.com compared to codeacdemy?

 

also.. yes I'd like a book.. but idk which one. I'm kind of open to any language as I just want to make a headstart in my programming study that i'm starting soon.

Unfortunately, I have no experience with Lynda

 

Well, Learning Python the Hard way is pretty good.http://www.amazon.co...&pf_rd_i=468294

 

 

Since you are open to pretty much all languages, I suggest that you go for PHP instead of Python. Python is great for beginners, because it is simple. But PHP simpler. And PHP will teach you a lot about web development etc. I don't know any books about PHP though.

[DotoreN]

Unfortunately, I have no experience with Lynda

 

Well, Learning Python the Hard way is pretty good.http://www.amazon.co...&pf_rd_i=468294

 

 

Since you are open to pretty much all languages, I suggest that you go for PHP instead of Python. Python is great for beginners, because it is simple. But PHP simpler. And PHP will teach you a lot about web development etc. I don't know any books about PHP though.

 

I have the feeling php is kind of old... and there are only books of 2008 out there.. and i'd like an updated language. I heard ruby or ruby on rails are taking over php, maybe I should start with ruby and ruby on rails?

[Sumsar]

I have the feeling php is kind of old... and there are only books of 2008 out there.. and i'd like an updated language. I heard ruby or ruby on rails are taking over php, maybe I should start with ruby and ruby on rails?

Go for it !

[HerrSubset]

I have the feeling php is kind of old... and there are only books of 2008 out there.. and i'd like an updated language. I heard ruby or ruby on rails are taking over php, maybe I should start with ruby and ruby on rails?

 

I would also recommend learning python as a first language. The resource i'd recommend is also "learn python the hard way".  I wouldn't start doing webdevelopment though, since it involves a lot of extra things that will make it more complicated to actually make something that works. And python is just right for that, having a lot of libraries for all sorts of stuff.

 

If you don't know what a library is exactly, learn python the hard way will teach you

 

In the end it doesn't really matter what language you pick, you'll learn mainly by creating stuff. I personally think that python will be the easiest road to actually making smth.

[DotoreN]

I would also recommend learning python as a first language. The resource i'd recommend is also "learn python the hard way".  I wouldn't start doing webdevelopment though, since it involves a lot of extra things that will make it more complicated to actually make something that works. And python is just right for that, having a lot of libraries for all sorts of stuff.

 

If you don't know what a library is exactly, learn python the hard way will teach you

 

In the end it doesn't really matter what language you pick, you'll learn mainly by creating stuff. I personally think that python will be the easiest road to actually making smth.

 

Learnthehardway is a book that goes by python 2, is this not outdated since most of the people use python 3 nowadays?

 

[ I don't know the difference between the 2 versions, but I was wondering whether 2 even still gets used since 3 is out and whether 2 is outdated or not ]

[HerrSubset]

Learnthehardway is a book that goes by python 2, is this not outdated since most of the people use python 3 nowadays?

 

[ I don't know the difference between the 2 versions, but I was wondering whether 2 even still gets used since 3 is out and whether 2 is outdated or not ]

 

That's a good question actually. While python 3 has been out for quite a while, most people seem to still be using version 2 (or 2.7 to be more precise). I think this is also being said in the book. Don't take my word for it however, I only used python for some small projects.

 

I just checked the python website. Seems python 2 got an update last december, so it's still being maintained. I guess it won't do any harm to learn the 2nd version. In the end it's up to you

 

By the way, if I can give you some advice. Don't focus too much on which language to learn, just pick one that seems nice and go make stuff. In the end a programming language is just a tool to create something. No matter what language you pick, you'll always be able to learn something from it, that's also useful in another language.

If you really want to learn how to program, the most important thing is just to build crap. Every programmer has made a monthly payment calculator and stuff like that. As I said, it's a tool to create stuff, so go create stuff that solves some of your problems. The feeling when you get something useful working is really cool. Don't think you need to know every feature before you can do smth. You'll be surprised to see what you can do with the basics.

[DotoreN]

i will probably order learnpythonthehardway 3rd edition soon

 

I hope it's a good book and I don't think 2.7 is that outdated.

 

Also http://s.s-bol.com/imgbase0/imagebase/large/FC/8/7/8/3/1001004007143878.jpghas a lot of good reviews.. 

 

Help me pick, learnthehardway or that book? D:

[DotoreN]

- Removed -

[Yen]

Not true, software written in 2.7 is not (always) forward compatible with 3.4!

[Muchoz]

If I'm not late tot the party, I would recommend checking out /r/learnprogramming on Reddit and their wiki and FAQ. Getting on the IRC channel on Freenode is also a big help for beginners and the people there are amazing. The Freenode IRC network is an amazing source for information and the people there are always willing to help you. Just don't ask to ask, but ask your question and wait. IRC is no normal chat, people will answer you when they can which sometimes can take a while or won't happen at all. There is a lot you can learn there I would say.

[polyx95]

I have the feeling php is kind of old... and there are only books of 2008 out there.. and i'd like an updated language. I heard ruby or ruby on rails are taking over php, maybe I should start with ruby and ruby on rails?

No, I have been freelance web-developer for 2 years now and had "pleasure" of working with both php(it's like crossfit, gives good results fast, but in the long run will break your neck and back) and ruby (better than php, but slow). If you want to get into web stuff I suggest starting out with python by going through learn python the hard way, than picking up "python head first" which will give you some knowledge about how to use python for different applications. After that depends on what you want to do. If you want to do web development than you should look into either Flask framework or Django. 

[Guest]

Pythons is a great language. And my two sites are

codecademy.com & Lynda.com

However, the latter cost money.

[justjort]

I would also recommend python to start with, because it is very easy to pick up, and can learn you a lot of programming structures. With java you need to understand the concept of object-orientated programming first, which is hard to understand if you are not used to simple procedural programming