I started learning Python this weekend. What started out as a weekend diversion is now taking on a life of its own, and I’ve already worked my way through six chapters and three non-Hello World programs in the primary text I’ve been using, along with some supplemental programs to make sure I’m keeping up and to give me more material to work on.
As for the book itself, I like the way it explains materials as if to a kid. I’ve had no programming experience before, and the method of showing the source code for a program and then explaining the code line by line helps out much more than “Okay, here’s what while loops do. Now go write a program with one”. The approachable method does make some of the material on math and logic skimmable for me because of my background, but that’s only because of my own experiences. I’m also an adult, so I didn’t need a grownup to see if Python was installed on my computer. (Hint: It was. One of the perks of using Linux.) The games also help. I already made a guess the number game (and tweaked it), and I get to make Hangman in a few chapters! It’ll be exciting.
Sadly, my version of Python does not support import antigravity. Yet. As soon as I make my Python directory writable, that’ll be the first thing to happen. And in case you’re wondering, yes, that’s a real easter egg in the current version of Python. There are a few differences in the version I’m using and the current version, but I’ve been able to work around them.