Teaching the art of programming, in python

[Warren Postma]

> Here's my theory, which is my own: It all depends on syntax. Perl's is
> so nasty that its newbies *need* the books to make any use of it.
> Python's is so clean that the occasional online nudge is sufficient.

As per Occam's Razor, I offer you a Simpler Explanation: Perl has merely
been around longer.


More books doesn't mean anything. One LISP-lover wrote something to this
effect in a magazine editorial a few years back. I can only broadly
paraphrase what he said:

<<     C++ is too complicated. It's badly oversold and poorly designed, and
it
    requires reams and reams of books to explain to someone how to create
something
    useful with it, without falling into the thousands of pitfalls that come
up along
    the way.  People then see the reams of C++ documentation and say "Gee,
that's a
    really popular and well documented language" and so they decide to use
it.
>>

I disagree with *some* the above bracketed text, primarily, because it
Smacks of Bitterness, but I think that most people admit that a language
requires different kinds of documentation. I think the provided Python
documents are useful, practical, and minimal.  Exactly the sort that should
come with Python.

What I would like to find is an introduction to the Art of Programming, in
Python.

No language, Python, Smalltalk, etc, is so easy to understand that it
requires no documentation.    You see, Python will rise, and one day fall,
but the skill of programming, the ideas that went into the design of Python
are themselves timeless. These are the things which must be placed into a
Sacred Codex and never forgotten!

At least Perl programmers seem to admit that Perl grew from a rich and
quirky set of Unix command line tools.  If you know bash, awk, grep, etc,
then you can see where Perl is
coming from. In Larry Wall's own words, it's 'Postmodern'. I would say
instead, "chaotic and byzantine".  No apologies are offered.

Perhaps I will attempt to write my own version of the Art of Programming,
Python Style.

You see, I have this idea of 'elegance' in my head which Python satisfies,
but I haven't found a book that really captures that. I have read a few (4),
and none really do justice to the Art side.

Remember the famous 'Smalltalk-80 - The Language and Implementation'
purple-book?

The Python texts I've read are good References to Getting Stuff Done, but
they Don't Teach the Art. Speaking of Dummies, was there/is there a LISP for
Dummies, or Smalltalk for Dummies?  Can Python for Dummies be far off?
<sigh.>

Warren