newbie in python

[Jeff Schwab]

ctechnician at gmail.com wrote:

> I'm very interesed to learn python and really willing to do so,but
> unfortunately dont know where to start, or what programs need to
> install to start.

There are several good replies already on this thread, but in case any 
experienced programmers searching the Google archives are looking for 
the fastest way to learn Python, I highly recommend Python in a Nutshell 
  by Alex Martelli (O'Reilly).  Good tutorial, high information density, 
avoids hand-waving, solid reference.

Do *not* bother with Programming Python until you have some experience 
with the core language.  I don't know why O'Reilly called it that, 
except to mislead people into thinking it was similar to the highly 
successful Programming Perl; if so, I fell for it, and so did plenty of 
other people (so there's probably a copy in your coworker's office 
already).  Programming Python is (despite its size) the moral equivalent 
of the O'Reilly "Cookbooks" for other languages.  It's not necessarily a 
bad book, but the only language/library tutorial it gives is meant to be 
a review, not an introduction.