Practical Python (Paperback)

~ Magnus Lie Hetland (Author)
Key Phrases: remote editing, hyperdrive overload, import fileinput, Instant Hacking, File Sharing, Python Library Reference (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

My plan to start seriously learning Python begins with <i>Practical Python</i>... This book properly blends programming concepts with design concepts...and cements its lessons with entertaining examples. </a></p> </blockquote> <p id="quoteAuthor">&#8212; Craig Banker, Baton Rouge Linux User Group</p></div>

<p><i>Practical Python</i> offers a highly useful guide to the Python programming language. In disarmingly readable prose, author Magnus Lie Hetland guides you through those concepts of most importance to the budding Python developer.</p>

<p> Following a succinct overview of the installation process, Hetland brings you up to speed regarding the general programming precepts common to every high-level language, including datatypes, conditionals and looping, abstractions, and modularity. Notably, Hetland takes great care to provide a thorough introduction to Python's potentially confusing datatype offering, including lists, tuples, and dictionaries, providing numerous examples aimed toward familiarizing you with their subtle, yet important differences.</p>

<p>Primed with the language's foundational knowledge, you'll then be introduced to Python's file-handling, database, GUI, and string-handling capabilities. Additionally, Hetland offers an excellent review of Python's object-oriented, functional, and exception-handling capabilities. All chapters are peppered with references to Python's useful built-in functions, which is done with the intention of demonstrating the considerable features offered by the default Python distribution.</p>

<p>Hetland devotes the second half of the book to project development, taking great care to choose a series of ten increasingly complex applications that are of timely and wide-ranging interest to burgeoning and expert developers alike. Project focus includes automated document conversion, newsgroup administration, graphical PDF document generation, remote document maintenance, the creation of a peer-to-peer system with XML-RPC, database integration, and GUI and game development. </p>

About the Author

Magnus Lie Hetland is an associate professor of algorithms at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU. Even though he loves learning new programming languages&emdash;even quite obscure ones&emdash;Magnus has been a devoted Python fan and an active member of the Python community for many years, and is the author of the popular online tutorials "Instant Python" and "Instant Hacking.When he isn't busy staring at a computer screen, he may be found reading (even while bicycling), acting (in a local theater group), or gaming (mostly role-playing games).

Product Details

• Paperback: 619 pages
• Publisher: Apress; 1st edition (August 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590590066
• ISBN-13: 978-1590590065
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #628,256 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, extensive, and entertaining, October 19, 2003

By	Todd Stephens (Lakeland, FL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book because I went through the author's online tutorials at his website (www.hetland.org). I enjoyed his writing style there and thought the book should be good as well. The book is even better than I had imagined an introductory programming text could be. I have been dabbling with learning Python for a while now, so the basics of the language and of programming in general were known to me. This book helped expand that basic knowledge quite a bit. It really brings together what I had read in other beginning-level books, and even explains some things that the others neglect to.

If you have little to no programming experience, this book can help you. If you are an experienced programmer in another language, this book can help you. If you already know Python, this book can still teach you a few things. And true to the Python culture, it is a good read with humor injected throughout.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Python book period., July 9, 2003

By	M. Young "M.Young" (LAs Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews

I'm new to programming (except for BASIC 15 years ago!) and thought I'd start with Python, since it's reputed to be both powerful AND fairly easy. To get started, I went through all the online tutorials I could find, and bought The Python Bible and Quick Python, both of which were slightly beyond my grasp.

I bought this book in order to learn some basic XML handling in Python and got SO MUCH MORE! This is how all computer books should be. It's increadibly readable, with new terms and concepts explained thoroughly (and with good, RELEVANT EXAMPLES!). The projects aren't exactly what I need, but illustrate the concepts well and are fun to play with.

Overall, I can't recommend this enough. I've never been so happy with a technical book, and I sincerely hope Mr. Hetland has more on the way.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I don't write reviews, usually, November 14, 2004

By	Forest Song (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

If you believe one learns more from others than from books and you are a beginner, this book is for you.

I always use Python in a hurry. Python pampered me into a lazy learner, but who's to blame? To me, Python is like a friend I am deeply attatched to but never know enough, until I found this book. Yes, even beginners can start USING Python in a week or two. But he/she also knows the difference between his/her programming skill and the professionals'. Well, Magnus will help you catch up with them in a few days' joyful reading. Like Code Complete this book teaches you things you can only learn from experience but it achieves this by using a pedagogical (and practical) programming language, ten illustrative and generalizable projects, and good writing. I can't help you learning Python, but recommanding this book is the least I can do.