Just starting out!

[Thomas A. Bryan]

birdman wrote:
> 
> I just started teaching myself to write code and wonder if Python is the
> best way to go. Also, Is there a better book than "Learning Python" by
> Mark Lutz and David Ascher available for someone at my level.

I think that Python makes a good first language.  I'm teaching 
my wife Python, and I have been fairly happy with how easy it 
is in Python to get past the language and get a beginner thinking 
about good code and intelligent design.  I was rather disappointed 
in _Learning_Python_ for someone with no programming experience.  
Since ordered it before I had a chance to thoroughly review it, 
I ended up writing supplemental notes and exercises.  They're in 
a pretty rough form right now, but I plan to make them available 
at some point.  If you'd like to see the current drafts, e-mail off 
the list, and I'll see what I can put together.

There's a SAMS book, something like _Learning_Python_in_24_Hours_.  
Perhaps you should skim it in a bookstore to see if it's more to your 
style.  

Non-book resources include this newsgroup, www.python.org, and the 
Python tutor mailing list.

---Tom