need help just begining

[Greg Ewing]

R E Heath wrote:

> SheaMon wrote:
> >
> > can
> > I just leave the numbers and stuff like that and just edit
> > the rest? I get so lost in the number part of the
> > programming.

> Python is an exceedingly good programming language but not really the
> thing for a complete newcomer to start with. I'd suggest you start with
> one of the older versions of BASIC such as MBASIC, BASICA, or QBASIC

I don't think that's necessarily good advice. If
numbers turn you off, traditional BASIC is going to
turn you off even more. You can do quite a lot of
useful things in Python without ever going near a
number -- something that can't be said about 
traditional BASIC!

It's not that Python isn't suitable for newcomers
to programming -- I and many others regard it as even
more suitable than BASIC -- it's that the tutorial
which comes with Python isn't designed for such
people. It's also unfortunate that it introduces
so many key concepts using heavily number-oriented
examples, when other subject matter could just as
easily have been chosen.

There are introductory books to Python around. I
haven't had personal experience of any of them, but
many people seem to think that "Learning Python"
is reasonably good. Whether it's any less biased
towards number-intensive examples I don't know.
I'm sure others will offer advice on the matter.

Anyway, to answer your question, Shea, you can try
skimming over any examples that have too many
numbers in them for your taste, but you may miss
out on some important concepts if you skip too
may examples.

-- 
Greg Ewing, Computer Science Dept,
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