Python books review ?

[Mitch Chapman]

Hirendra Hindocha wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> It seems that suddenly there are a lot of Python books on the market.
> Has anyone bought them ? If so, can u post a review of them ?
> 
> I'm looking for reviews on -
> 
> Programming With Python
> Tim Altom; Paperback

I did the tech editing for this book, so can give you an unbiased
review :)

"Programming with Python" is a cookbook, rather than a language
reference or tutorial.  Other titles would be better for full-time
software developers just getting started with Python.  Tim targeted
this book at sysadmins looking for simple, concrete code examples.

The book includes 30+ sample scripts from members of the Python
community, each w. accompanying commentary.  Most of the scripts are
short, but they show how well Python can exploit the platform on which
it runs, with a particular emphasis on Linux.

The scripts run the gamut from games to multi-threaded Tkinter apps to
system utilities.  My personal favorite is a script by Sam Rushing
which identifies the process owning a socket.

The good news is that Tim has a clear, entertaining writing style.
The bad news it that he had me for his tech editor.  When my
complementary copy arrived I dug in to see how many errors made it all
the way to press.  Unfortunately, I was able to find several.

Three types of errors were evident: simple typos, indentation errors
resulting from hard tabs in the source code, and bone-headed technical
mistakes.  Luckily I've found only two of the last -- so far.

I've asked the publisher for permission to set up an errata web site
for the book, but have not yet received a response.

The indentation errors arose in part from Tim's insistence on
respecting the work of the original script authors.  He was concerned
about making "cosmetic" changes which might inadvertently alter the
behavior of a script, then attributing the result to an unsuspecting
script author.  But if I'd had the mental presence to suggest
replacing hard tabs w. spaces, Tim would probably have agreed.

One of the technical errors noted above involved a script provided by
Joseph Strout.  It appeared in the book as 'logic.py'.  Joe's original
script was fine, but the tech-review copy which arrived in email was
severely mangled, with some source lines run together, some
incorrectly indented, etc.  Thanks to my inability to explain this
simple fact, both the mangled script and a copy of Joe's original
version appear in the book, the latter "courtesy of Mitch Chapman."
I'm still looking for a rock to crawl under.

Well, so much for the sales pitch :)  If you're looking for Python code
samples for part-time programmers, have a look at "Programming with
Python" (and probably also "Python Annotated Archives" -- dunno,
haven't seen it yet).  If you're looking for an intro text for
full-time developers, something like "Learning Python" or "Python
Essential Reference" would be more appropriate.

-- 
Mitch Chapman
mitch.chapman at mciworld.com