Core Python Programming (Open Source Technology) [Paperback]

Wesley J. Chun (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130260363 | ISBN-13: 978-0130260369 | Publication Date: December 15, 2000

Python is soaring in popularity, and it's no wonder: Python is fast, scalable, easy to learn, and combines the best aspects of scripting languages like Perl with the key advantages of object languages like Java. In this book, Yahoo! Internet software engineer Wesley Chun teaches experienced developers all they need to know to leverage all of Python's power -- fast. Like all Core Series books, Core Python Programming teaches via hundreds of industrial-strength code examples, all targeted at professional developers who want to leverage the skills they already have. Chun begins with a professional-level introduction to Python syntax, objects, and error handling; functions, classes, and built-ins. Learn the best techniques for handling I/O, manipulating Python objects, working with files, filesystems, and more. Core Python Programming delivers detailed real-world coverage of Web/Internet and network programming, including CGI applications, adding Python support to web servers, client/server applications, network I/O, encryption/decryption, integration with DBM databases, and much more. The book also contains a quick reference to the entire language.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Update for 2012

6:04PM PST, December 11, 2012

Unbelieveably 4 years have passed since my last post. Some of you saw the Amazon page for Core Python Applications Programming with a "3rd edition" tag. I'm sure you'll naturally assume that it's the 3rd ed. of Core Python Programming but may be confused by the name change. To clarify: it is... sort of.

Two things occurred which led us here: the 1st is a shortage of books on the market to help the intermediate Python developer. What do you do after you've learned Python? You may have read Dive into Python, Beginning Python, or Learning Python, and have written some basic tools/apps but have nowhere to turn other than dive deeply into specific topics w/books about game programming, databases, graphics/multimedia, GUIs, networking, etc.

If you want more than one skill you'd have to buy a book on every topic. This is overkill, esp. if you're only interested in expanding your skillset. In those cases you're not ready to dive that deep. You'll spend a lot, read a few chapters, then they'll collect dust (unless you're being paid or want to become an expert). This is the exact reason why I wrote "Part II" of Core Python Programming calling it "Advanced Topics". After spending a year (most of 2000) writing what I thought was the entire book, I asked myself, "Wait, I've just taught all these folks Python, but I didn't really show what they could build with it." Part II was written as a result.

Another thing that happened is that the book grew quite significantly. Originally 810 pages long, it bloomed to 1120 for the 2nd ed. With the new material for the 3rd ed., a massive tome would be difficult & expensive to publish plus would cause an unnecessary burden upon readers (unless getting an electronic edition). Thus I am pleased to announce that those chapters have been extracted to form their own book, Core Python Applications Programming!

The contents have been cleaned up and retrofitted w/Python 3 examples paired w/their 2.x friends as a hybrid to help you learn both 2.x & 3.x. You'll find that many chapters have new material including: NoSQL/non-relational databases featuring MongoDB, more Microsoft Office® examples using Outlook & PowerPoint (including the text-to-slide generator some of you have seen me use at conferences), interfacing w/Twitter, using Yahoo!Mail & Gmail to send/receive email, and even doing social media analysis w/Google+! There are also brand new chapters on Web framework development using Django, an introduction to cloud computing w/Google App Engine, and text processing w/CSV, JSON, and XML. The purpose is to provide comprehensive intros to but not go deep into any particular topic; please adjust any expectations appropriately. We hope you are as excited about the new book as we are!

The material making up "Part I" of the original book will take another couple of years to complete due to all the changes coming from Python 3 and not on the horizon at this time, so if you are a programmer completely new to Python, we still recommend the 2nd edition of Core Python Programming as the best place to go learn Python as quickly and as in-depth as possible. You'll get a great preview of Core Python Applications Programming there too! Also I look forward to meeting some of you at an upcoming conference or in one of my training courses!

Core Python Programming FAQs

1:24 AM PDT, October 30, 2008; last updated 9:17AM PST, December 10, 2012

Wow, I can't believe it's already been 2 years since the 2nd edition was published... thanks for all your support! I'm writing again because many of you have asked about a 3rd edition as well as Python 2.6+ & 3.x.

Q: Will there be a 3rd edition for Python 3.0?

A: I've already added sections on 3.x & 2.6+ to the newest printings, but did not update this book for 3.0 because: 1) if I made updates w/every release of Python, I would no longer be employed nor have a family, 2) as a programmer, I really don't want to put anything on paper (and sell it) for a ".0" release of any software, including Python, and 3) it generally takes several years between editions before there is enough material to warrant a reexploration of the manuscript. 3.x definitely qualifies, so really it's reason #2. Keep an eye out for something after 3.3 though.

Q: Is the book outdated now due to Python 2.6+ & 3.x?

A: No! Some of you who have met me in person or have heard me speak will know that my philosophy is to teach readers the core features of the language and not focus on minor features that come w/every release. (Chances are that you won't be using them anyway!) The book has been created especially to be version-independent. Any important version-specific gotchas are highlighted w/annotations (look for release number markers in the margins). Also in 2009, I added 2 new appendices that discuss 3.x and the role of the final 2.x releases (2.6-2.7).

Q: Why does the book have "a lot of mistakes in it," use thick paper, and have large fonts?

A: There are very few errors in the text now as all of the items on the Errata have been fixed in printings since 2009. The paper was thick only for the 1st edition, and the fonts are slightly larger than normal as it makes the manuscript easier and faster to read.

Q: How's the book selling?

A: Thanks goes to those of you who have made it a bestseller! The book has had 6 printings now and has already completely outsold the 1st book! Now the publisher has asked for a 3rd edition!

It's here!!

2:23 PM PDT, September 14, 2006, updated at 12:29 AM PDT, October 11, 2006

Thanks for tuning in to the Amazon page for Core Python Programming. I'm excited to bring you the latest incarnation of my book.  In it, you will find updates as major as the changes in Python itself from the 1st edition days of 2.0 (2001). The 2nd edition is expanded (300 new pages!) and updated through Python 2.5 (released about the same time as this book[!]), including confirmed functionality for future versions. Also added are new chapters of advanced material. As in the 1st edition, a plethora of exercises can be found at the end of every chapter to hammer the concepts home. At the moment, this is the most complete and up-to-date Python book on the market today.

The book's main focus is comprehensively teaching you the core of the Python language, much more than just its syntax (which you don't really need a book to learn, right?). Knowing more about how Python works under the covers, including the relationship between data objects and memory management, will make you a much more effective Python programmer coming out of the gate. The advanced topics chapters are meant as intros or "quick dives" into a variety of distinct subjects. If moving towards those specific areas of development, they are more than enough to get you pointed in the right direction. We would say that the book is 40% introductory, 40% intermediate (in-depth core Python material plus advanced topics chapters), and 20% reference -- it is not meant to be a substitute for a pure reference such as the Python Essential Reference or Python in a Nutshell.

The material in the book is very much of a community effort (just like Python)! I welcome all comments, suggestions, corrections, feedback, etc., as well as what new chapters to add to future editions. Go to the book's website to download the code or check out the errata. When new versions of Python are released, look there for supplementary material to augment your book, keeping it as up-to-date as possible! I also offer public and private Python training courses and seminars should you feel the need for a "live" experience. I have written the book in an accessible style, reading as if I was having a conversation w/you, or if I was delivering a lecture to you attending one of my courses. Enjoy!

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

• New to Python? This is the developer's guide to Python development!
• Learn the core features of Python as well as advanced topics such as regular expressions, multithreaded programming, Web/Internet and network development, GUI development with Tk(inter) and more
• Also includes features found in the new Python 1.6 and 2.0 releases
• CD-ROM: Complete Python distributions (source code, documentation, and various binaries) plus all example scripts in the book

Python is an Internet and systems programming language that is soaring in popularity in today's fast-paced software development environment, and no wonder: it's simple (yet robust), object-oriented (yet can be used as a procedural language), extensible, scalable and features an easy to learn syntax that is clear and concise. Python combines the power of a compiled object language like Java and C++ with the ease of use and rapid development time of a scripting language. In fact, it's syntax is so easy to understand that you are more likely to pick it up faster than any of the other popular scripting languages in use today!

In Core Python Programming, Internet software engineer and technical trainer Wesley Chun provides intermediate and experienced developers all they need to know to learn Python-fast. Like all Core Series books, Core Python Programming delivers hundreds of industrial-strength code snippets and examples, all targeted at professional developers who want to leverage their existing skills! In particular, Core Python Programming presents numerous interactive examples that can be entered into the Python interpreter right in front of you! Finally, we present a chapter that shows you step-by-step how to extend Python using C or C++.

• Python syntax and style
• Development and Run-time Environments
• Objects and Python memory management
• Standard data types, methods, and operators
• Loops and conditionals
• Files and Input/Output
• Exceptions and error handling
• Functions, scope, arguments, and functional programming
• Importing modules and module attributes
• Object-oriented Programming with classes, methods, and instances
• Callable Objects
• Extending Python

Coverage of the Python standard module library and client-server application development includes comprehensive introductions to the following topics in Python programming:

• Regular expressions
• TCP/IP and UDP/IP Network programming using sockets
• Operating system interface
• GUI development with Tk using Tkinter
• Multithreaded programming
• Interactive Web/CGI/Internet applications
• Executing code in a restricted environment
• Inheritance, type emulation, operator overloading, and delegation in an OOP environment

Finally, we provide an introduction to the new features introduced in Python 1.6. These include Unicode string support, the new function invocation syntax which lets the caller provide a tuple of positional arguments and/or a dictionary of keyword arguments, and the new string methods. We also provide a glimpse into features that will only be found in the newer 2.0 release.

Every Core Series book:

• DEMONSTRATES how to write commercial-quality code
• FEATURES dozens of programs and examples!
• FOCUSES on the features and functions most important to real developers
• PROVIDES objective, unbiased coverage of cutting-edge technologies-no
• hype!

Core Python Programming delivers:

• Coverage of the core parts of the Python language
• Real-world insights for developing Web/Internet, network, multithreaded and GUI applications
• Tables and charts detailing Python modules, built-in functions, operators, and attributes
• Code snippets to try live with Python's interactive interpreter, hammering the concepts home
• Extensive code examples-including several complete sample applications

CD-ROM includes complete Python source code and documentation distributions for Unix/Linux along with binaries for Windows and Macintosh platforms plus source code for all examples in the book.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 816 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR (December 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130260363
• ISBN-13: 978-0130260369
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,919,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

WESLEY J. CHUN, MSCS, is author of Prentice Hall's bestseller, "Core Python Programming" (http://corepython.com), its video training course, "Python Fundamentals" (LiveLessons DVD), co-author of "Python Web Development with Django" (http://withdjango.com), and has written for Linux Journal, CNET, and InformIT. In addition to being a software architect and Developer Advocate at Google, he runs CyberWeb (http://cyberwebconsulting.com), a consulting business specializing in Python training and software engineering. He has over 25 years of programming, teaching, and writing experience, including more than a decade of Python. While at Yahoo!, he helped create Yahoo! Mail and Yahoo! People Search using Python. He holds degrees in Computer Science, Mathematics, and Music from the University of California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended for beginners, January 13, 2002

By 

Paul Ammann (New Fairfield, CT United) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Core Python Programming (Open Source Technology) (Paperback)

For the last few months I was developing in Perl. But I found myself very frustrated with the syntax, and the Perl books on the market did a so-so job on explaining how everything worked.

And then I came across this book. I had read a review about in the Linux Journal. In 2 days I "inhaled" 200+ pages of this book, about 7 chapters. To begin with, this book is easy to understand, has numerous examples to go long with the text, and does an excellent job in progessing through Python.

The first 400 pages cover syntax, style, functions, classes, modules, etc. If you've ever programmed in another language (C, C++, Java, Perl), Mr. Chun compares Python to each of them in simularities and differences. You should be pick up on these quite easily. The last part of the book in more advanced topics, which I found quite enjoyable.

I don't program in Perl anymore. After reading this book, I wonder why I didn't look at Python first. Aside from a book on Tkinter, this is the only book that I keep on my desk. It's great for teaching and learning, but makes a great reference book also.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book for beginning Python programmers, March 23, 2004

By 

Brian Maula "Brian" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Core Python Programming (Open Source Technology) (Paperback)

Definitely worth 5 stars. The book clearly explains its purpose, and the author makes his methodologies known in the beginning as to how he will approach teaching the language. His explanations are clear and concise, and it does not contradict the DOCS available on the Python web site. He's both humorous and informative, with a relaxed style of writing.

The code in itself is neatly organized, clearly explained, and overall, it works. He does cover a lot of Python basics, the majority of the book are Python basics. He also covers advanced topics such as network programming, extending Python through C/C++ modules, and multithreading. All of which are important, being able to write distributed applications, writing responsive programs, and being able to extend the language are all equally important. Python's power is clearly explained and logically thought-out in this book. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn Python but are new to programming.

As a side note, I would also take extra time and check out the DOCS themselves. The author is good, but by no means perfect, supplement the book with the DOCS, it'll help you out a lot more. I have plans on writing more complicated web services using Python, and this book will remain beside me as both a reference and a guide when I'm lost.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I agree with the reader from Menlo Park, CA..., February 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Core Python Programming (Open Source Technology) (Paperback)

The author's writing style is very similar to Bruce Eckel's. Both authors present somewhat abstract concepts in a clear and concise way that makes reading their material enjoyable. I highly recommend this book for any novice programmer wanting to learn Python. Chun does a good job explaining OOP concepts, so if you only have experience with a procedural language (C, Pascal, etc.)don't worry. If you are a programming expert, purist, guru, or OOP king you may find this book a bit long and shallow.:)