newbie

[Brett g Porter]

"Alex Martelli" <aleaxit at yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:8sov2g0142d at news1.newsguy.com...
>
> If C++ is your goal, then, after you've used Python to learn programming
> reasonably well, you may as well jump right into C++ with the aid of a
> good tutorial (I suggest Lippman and Lajoie's -- by far the best IMHO;
> it's published by Addison-Wesley).
I recommend Bruce Eckel's "Thinking in C++" -- you can download it for free
(full text!) at <http://www.bruceeckel.com> -- the first edition was the
book that finally turned me from a C programmer into a native-speaking C++
programmer. The second edition is designed for someone with little or no C
experience. Then keep checking back to see if he's finally started writing
his "Thinking in Python" book.

> C++ is *horrendously* difficult (its
> main defect, again IMHO)
Well, yes and no. There's a sane and simple subset that's easily learned and
used. Most people never have need for the more obscure corners of the
language. But when I need them, I'm comforted knowing that they're there.
 By the same token WRT Python -- hands up, everyone who _really_ understands
and can use the Beaudry hook. How far can you go as a Python programmer
without that? Pretty far, but I love knowing that it's there should I ever
need it.

BgP

--
// Brett g Porter * Senior Engineer, Application Development
// BgPorter @ artlogic . com * http://www.artlogic.com
// Art & Logic * Custom software solutions for hardware products
// Windows * MacOS * Embedded Systems