[Tutor] first steps

[peter hodgson]

hello; i've done my first forty or so tutorial programs; please take a
look at and tell me if i'm on track; 

A. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS:

Here is another example of variable usage:

a = 1
print a
a = a + 1
print a
a = a * 2
print a

And of course here is the output:

1
2
4

Even if it is the same variable on both sides [OF THE '='] the
computer still reads it as: First find out the data to store [RIGHT
SIDE OF THE '='?] and than [THEN] find out where the data goes [PRINT
COMMAND?].
----------------------
B. WHY WON'T THIS RUN?
-----------------------
#while 1 == 1: would perpetuate the printing of "help..."
#l3 - l6 [extracted from another program] should limit it to five times
count = 0
max_count = 5
while count > max_count:
      count = count + 1
      print "help, i'm caught in a loop"

#but the program won't run
-----------------------------
C.HAVE I PARSED THIS RIGHT?
-----------------------------
#values into/out of a pail;	#this is l1
a = 1                   #this means a = non-zero, that it is;
s = 0			#empty pail
print "enter numbers to add to the sum"	#plus or minus
print "enter 0 to quit"			#end the game
while a != 0:		#i.e., you're still playing the game;
      print "current sum:", s  #so we start at 0
      a = input("nmber? ")     #and we alter s by a, superceding a = 1
      s = s + a		       #and a is the increment
			       #reducing s to 0 won't close program
print "total sum = ", s  #not indented cause it only runs at the end

#l2, l3 provide the contents and the pail;
#l5, l6 provide for a way to end the game;
#playing the game is l4, plus the indented lines l7 - l9;