How to Start

[Tom Brown]

On Thursday 13 September 2007 14:59, Michael R. Copeland wrote:
>    I've decided that Python is a language/environment I'd like to learn
> (I've been a professional programmer for 45+ years), but I really don't
> know where and how to start!  I have a number of books - and am buying
> some more - but because of the bewildering number of after-market
> packages, environments, and add-ons, I am really quite perplexed about
> starting.  8<{{
>    Yes, I could fire up the interactive mode and play with some
> statements...but I consider that sort of thing for programming neophytes
> or experimenting with specific issues.  First, I want to develop a
> simple Windows application, and because of the plethora of "stuff" the
> Python world offers, I don't know where to begin.
>    For example, what basic, easy-to-use interface might I start with to
> build a simple text file parsing and analysis program?  That is, I'd
> like to start with a simple Windows shell that prompts for a file name,
> processes it, and then displays some result.
>    I am certainly impressed with the apparent experience and openness of
> the regular players here, but the discussions here (and in
> c.l.p.announce) truly presume knowledge and experience with Python I
> don't yet have.  Yes, for even a very experienced programmer, entering
> the Python world is very daunting - but I want to get started.
>    Please advise.  TIA

A good book, a link to the module index, a good text editor and a command 
prompt will get you started. Sounds like you have some books. Those should 
help a lot. A good text editor is a matter of taste. I prefer gvim. However, 
gvim has a steep learning curve to become productive. There is eric4, which 
is an IDE. I has a debugger. That may be the place to start. 

Good luck,
Tom