"Programming Python" still worthwhile?

[Rick Robino]

Thanks Gordon and William!

> Rick Robino originally posted:
>> 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.

Gordon McMillan <gmcm at hypernet.com> wrote:
> 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.

I didn't do alot of research, but I couldn't get a good feel from
the huge thread that has been going on here named after 2.0. Appreciate
the ETA.

I have read the tutorial and it is wonderful, especially the couple
extra smaller ones mentioned in the "Python as a first language" thread.
Just wanted more meat; you know how that is ;)

> 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 out of date in PP, and you'll find updates on Mark's web site.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.

Hmm... the Internet Programming book sounds interesting. I'll pick up
that and also the new book to check it out - I'll be a good test ;) I
have one of those weird learning curves where I need things explained
really simply at first and then I can usually jump up pretty fast. I'll
let you all know how I thought the book was. Daring advertisement...  
still feels like there is nothing I can't do in shell that perl can do,
cuz maybe it looks so much like shell? Most of my friends would slap
me silly for such heresy but after poking around with python for a couple
of weeks, I think its quite nice.

--Rick 
                                ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Rick Robino                                  rrobino [at] wavedivision.com