Re: Is this a good time to start learning python?
- From: "Terry Reedy" <tjreedy@xxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:52:54 -0400
"Rui Maciel" <rui.maciel@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:47f1140e$0$735$a729d347@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
| Recently I woke up inclined to take up the task of learning another
| programming language. I've already dipped my toes in Perl (I've read
online
| tutorials and wrote a couple of irrelevant pet projects) but, as the
| computers at my workplace only sport the python interpreter, it probably
| means that learning python will end up serving me better, at least in the
| short run. Plus, you know how Perl goes.
If you intend to use Python on the computer at your workplace, then learn
the version installed there.
| So far the decision seems to be a no brainer. Yet, Python 3000 will
arrive
| in a few months. As it isn't backwards compatible with today's Python,
| there is the risk that no matter what I learn until then, I will end up
| having to re-learn at least a considerable part of the language.
Most of the changes are deletions and additions, rather than changes.
3.0a4 will be out in a few days. If you had no reason to use anything
else, I would consider starting with that. (But the IDLE IDE on Windows
may still not work right.)
| To put it in other words, I fear that I will be wasting my time.
If you learn and use 2.x, then avoid things that are going away. In
particular:
Unless you need to learn about old-style classes, I would not bother with
them and the differences from new, soon to be the only style, classes.
Derive all your classes from object or a subclass thereof.
Use // for integer floor division (ie, when you want 1/2 == 0.
Use 'from __future__ import division' if you use '/' in a file where both
operands
might be ints and you would want 1/2==.5.
| At least that is what a clueless newbie believes. As this group is
| frequented by people who have more insight into all things pythonesque,
| what are your thoughts on this?
Diverse, I am sure ;-)
Terry Jan Reedy
.
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- Is this a good time to start learning python?
- From: Rui Maciel
- Is this a good time to start learning python?
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