Moving to Python 3.x

[Ian Kelly]

On Sat, May 9, 2015 at 12:30 PM, Antranig Vartanian
<antranig at pingvinashen.am> wrote:
> Hay,
>
> I learned the basics of python using the book "Think Python"
> (http://www.greenteapress.com/thinkpython/) which was good (IMHO), and it
> teaches in Python 2.7. Now I'm trying to write my first python+gtk program.
>
> anyways, my question will be, is it so necessary to move to python3.x ASAP?
> or Python2.7 will live for a while (2-3 years)?.

Python 2.7 will continue to be maintained through 2020. If you don't
have any specific reason to use Python 2.7 (such as a library
dependency), then you should try to use 3.x for new projects. You'll
avoid the pain of needing to migrate later, and you'll be able to
start taking advantage of newer features right away.

> and what do you advice a newbie programmer to do after learning the basics?

Find an existing open source project that you'd like to contribute to.
It doesn't have to be anything major, but it will help you learn about
the Python ecosystem, and the opportunities to collaborate will help
you build your skills. It also looks good on a resume, if your plans
include being a professional Python programmer.