a new pythonista?

[Alex Martelli]

Anna wrote:

> My daughter just asked me about this "python stuph". So I pulled up
> livewires.org.uk and showed her some basics.
> 
> She just coded her first while loop and for loop... she thought it was
> kewl! In fact, we had to kick her off the computer and send her to bed cuz
> she's got so much to do tomorrow...
> 
> FWIW, she's 12...

Wow, cool!  I think livewires was just the right choice, too.

I consider it a key root of Python's amazing strength, that a bright
12-years-old CAN start grasping it so fast... while at the same time
Python has ample power for experienced programmers to use it for such
major projects as, e.g., mailman, Zope, Chandler, and the like!!!  [Of
course, it DOES take a somewhat-special 12-y-o, but I'm anything but
surprised that your daughter should be!-)]

Now, knowing that your daughter _is_ about to turn into a teenager (and
we all know how teenagers tend to rebel against parental authority), the
best approach to stimulate her interest might well be to forbid her to
dabble in it further, it being dangerous, addictive, adults-only stuff;-)


Alex