"Programming Python" still worthwhile?

[Gordon McMillan]

Rick Robino writes:

> I've been watching this group for some time and just now getting
> warm to Python. Looking at source examples has been great, but for
> completeness' sake I'd like to get more of the "why" maybe found in
> a book. Since Python is at 1.5.2 and people are talking about 2.0 as
> if it's around the corner, I was wondering if anyone here could give
> me some advice as to whether or not "Programming Python" is useful,
> if the current edition is still current, if I should wait for the
> "Learning Python", or if I should use some other resources.

Python 2 is around a really, really big corner, and then down the 
block quite a ways. Python 1.6 sometime in 2000 (which will be 
backwards compatible), so no 2 until 2001 or 2002.

Learning Python is on the shelves. Haven't read it. Nobody's 
flamed it, and that's a _very_ good sign. There's only a few things 
out of date in PP, and you'll find updates on Mark's web site. I 
liked PP very much (and the difficult to find Internet Programming 
with Python, Watters et al, M&T books). When Mark wrote PP, he 
thought it might be the only Python book ever, so he stuffed in 
everything he could think of. So don't feel bad if you skip stuff.

> I expect to come up to speed fairly quickly and I'm just looking for
> those fundamental insights into OOP and Python that can build up the
> kind of inuition and understanding one needs in order to "get
> comfortable" connecting/creating the dots. Currently I only program
> small - medium programs in C and shell (Korn). Any sage pointers to
> resources?
> 
> TIA,
> 
> --Rick 
>                          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Rick Robino                                 
> rrobino at wavedivision.com
> 
> -- 
> http://www.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list

- Gordon