New to Python, familiar with Perl - Seeking info sources

[Reedick, Andrew]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: python-list-bounces+jr9445=att.com at python.org [mailto:python-
> list-bounces+jr9445=att.com at python.org] On Behalf Of Brett Ritter
> Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 9:54 AM
> To: python-list at python.org
> Subject: New to Python, familiar with Perl - Seeking info sources
> 
> After many years happily coding Perl, I'm looking to expand my
> horizons. [no flames please, I'm pretty aware of Perl's strengths and
> weaknesses and I'm just here to learn more, not to enter religious
> debates].
> 
<snip>
> 
> Any recommendations?  Thanks in advance.
> 

I have a Perl background and have found the O'Reilly books to be useful.
The Learning Python book (or whatever it's called) is good because it
covers the paradigm shifts and potential gotchas that you won't even
consider thinking about otherwise.  Only downside is wading through the
novice 'how to program' parts.  The Cookbook is also good for getting
'standard' apps up and running quickly (meaning you know how to do it in
Perl, and just need the equivalent Python syntax/paradigm.)

The Python help can be very hit or miss.  You're going to have _fun_
with the Python regex module.  *twitch*winch*sputter*  Generally
speaking, there's a Python module to do just about everything you could
do in Perl.  The only gap I've found is in the win32com with a class in
a .tlb file (works fine in Perl, fails in Python.)  But someone on the
python-win32 list posted a potential workaround which I need to test.

The really spiffy part is that when I converted a few Perl scripts to
Python, the Python scripts were a bit smaller.  =O  Python does less
compile time type checking than Perl.  And finally, this mailing list
does produce useful, polite answers about syntax to theory, despite some
noise.