psss...I want to move from Perl to Python

[Chris Angelico]

On Fri, Jan 29, 2016 at 11:01 AM, Fillmore <fillmore_remove at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Does Python have Regexps?

Yes! Although there are often other ways of doing things, so you don't
*have* to use a regex for everything. But yes, Python has a powerful
regular expression library.

> How was the Python 2.7 vs Python 3.X solved? which version should I go for?

Go for 3.x, unless you have a particular reason for using 2.7. There
are heaps of cool new features in 3.x, and most of the modules you'll
need support it. There's now very little reason for going 2.7 for new
projects.

> Do you think that switching to Python from Perl is a good idea at 45?

Definitely. Never too old to learn new tricks.

> Where do I get started moving from Perl to Python?

Start with the Python tutorial in the docs; flip through that and get
an idea of broadly how things work. Then port a simple script, so you
know you can make Python do stuff for you. Get your code reviewed by
experts (whether it works or not - you'll learn a lot from people
saying "Hey, here's a different way you could do that"), and don't
take anything personally.

> which gotchas need I be aware of?

Probably the biggest thing to take note of is the Python object model
- how names and objects and assignment work. It's pretty
straight-forward, but if it's not what you're used to, you'll need to
get your head around it. Here's a good talk on the subject:

http://nedbatchelder.com/text/names1.html

> Thank you

You're most welcome! And welcome to the list. This is a pretty
friendly place; don't be afraid to post your code and ask for advice.

All the best!

ChrisA