New to programming

[Jason Cunliffe]

> >Without starting an advocacy thread, why is Python so well spoken of as a
> >first language?

1. Very concise readable code
2. Encourages everyone to write clean clear readable code
3. Fun Fast Free
4. Runs almost everyplatform without modification
4. Let's you explore and experiment directly in shell interpreter -
especially useful feature for learning
5. Has really great community and they are growing
6. ..who have contributed wonderful modules and resources
http://www.vex.net/parnassus
7. Nice object-orientation syntax adn features - everything is an object
9. 'loosely typed' friendlier for beginners and simpler to develop with
10. openSource - sound design in a sound philosophy => a good mind in a
healthy body
11. Lots of nice smart people love it and use it everyday for cool stuff
12. Interfaces with many other tools, technolgogies and languages =
pragramatic foundation
13. Strong Microsoft features on Win32
14. Strong Linux features + support
15. Python syntax does not obscure what is happening [99% of the time
anyway]
16. Encourages self documenting programs
17. Flexible error trapping tools give produce saner code and more useful
messages
18. Used by great 3D applcations as their main scripting language:
->Blender www.blender.nl
->Poser4 Pro Pack [new Python API:wow!!] http://www.curiouslabs.com/
->PyGame [cross-platform hardware/meia access] http://pygame.seul.org/
->LightFlow [radiosity to die for - program pure light with a few lines of
Python] http://www.lightflowtech.com/

19. Zope, super-duper object web publishing cotent management slicer dicer
killer mind bender application is written in Python
www.zope.org

20. Famous 'MailMan' CNU mailing software is written in Python
http://www.list.org/

21. Microsoft Altair BASIC legend Monte Davidoff think so too...
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/18909.html
<quote>
His other passion, he tells us, is Python.
"Hats off to them. It's an extremely well designed language. It's object
orientated from the get-go. They've really succeeded there," he says, and
commends it as the ideal teaching language. That used to be BASIC, of
course.
</quote>

22.Kirby Urner's stuff
http://www.inetarena.com/~pdx4d/ocn/numeracy0.html

23. Python Dictionaries

24. <add your own here>

./Jason