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Python FAQ: Is Python a good language for beginning programmers? How long does it take to master Python?
By Guest on 7th November 2022 06:31:35 AM | Syntax: PYTHON | Views: 175


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  1.  
  2. Is Python a good language for beginning programmers?
  3. ----------------------------------------------------
  4.  
  5. Yes. It's relatively easy to learn compared to some other languages like Java.
  6.  
  7. It is still common to start students with a procedural and statically
  8. typed language such as Pascal, C, or a subset of C++ or Java.
  9. Students may be better served by learning Python as their first
  10. language.  Python has a very simple and consistent syntax and a large
  11. standard library and, most importantly, using Python in a beginning
  12. programming course lets students concentrate on important programming
  13. skills such as problem decomposition and data type design.  With
  14. Python, students can be quickly introduced to basic concepts such as
  15. loops and procedures.  They can probably even work with user-defined
  16. objects in their very first course.
  17.  
  18. For a student who has never programmed before, using a statically
  19. typed language seems unnatural.  It presents additional complexity
  20. that the student must master and slows the pace of the course.  The
  21. students are trying to learn to think like a computer, decompose
  22. problems, design consistent interfaces, and encapsulate data.  While
  23. learning to use a statically typed language is important in the long
  24. term, it is not necessarily the best topic to address in the students'
  25. first programming course.
  26.  
  27. Many other aspects of Python make it a good first language.  Like
  28. Java, Python has a large standard library so that students can be
  29. assigned programming projects very early in the course that *do*
  30. something.  Assignments aren't restricted to the standard four-
  31. function calculator and check balancing programs.  By using the
  32. standard library, students can gain the satisfaction of working on
  33. realistic applications as they learn the fundamentals of programming.
  34. Using the standard library also teaches students about code reuse.
  35. Third-party modules such as PyGame are also helpful in extending the
  36. students' reach.
  37.  
  38. Python's interactive interpreter enables students to test language
  39. features while they're programming.  They can keep a window with the
  40. interpreter running while they enter their program's source in another
  41. window.  If they can't remember the methods for a list, they can do
  42. something like this:
  43.  
  44.    >>> L = []
  45.    >>> dir(L)
  46.    ['__add__', '__class__', '__contains__', '__delattr__', '__delitem__',
  47.    '__dir__', '__doc__', '__eq__', '__format__', '__ge__',
  48.    '__getattribute__', '__getitem__', '__gt__', '__hash__', '__iadd__',
  49.    '__imul__', '__init__', '__iter__', '__le__', '__len__', '__lt__',
  50.    '__mul__', '__ne__', '__new__', '__reduce__', '__reduce_ex__',
  51.    '__repr__', '__reversed__', '__rmul__', '__setattr__', '__setitem__',
  52.    '__sizeof__', '__str__', '__subclasshook__', 'append', 'clear',
  53.    'copy', 'count', 'extend', 'index', 'insert', 'pop', 'remove',
  54.    'reverse', 'sort']
  55.    >>> [d for d in dir(L) if '__' not in d]
  56.    ['append', 'clear', 'copy', 'count', 'extend', 'index', 'insert', 'pop', 'remove', 'reverse', 'sort']
  57.  
  58.    >>> help(L.append)
  59.    Help on built-in function append:
  60.  
  61.    append(...)
  62.        L.append(object) -> None -- append object to end
  63.  
  64.    >>> L.append(1)
  65.    >>> L
  66.    [1]
  67.  
  68. With the interpreter, documentation is never far from the student as
  69. they are programming.
  70.  
  71. There are also good IDEs for Python.  IDLE is a cross-platform IDE for
  72. Python that is written in Python using Tkinter. Emacs users will be
  73. happy to know that there is a very good Python mode for Emacs.  All of
  74. these programming environments provide syntax highlighting, auto-
  75. indenting, and access to the interactive interpreter while coding.
  76. Consult the Python wiki for a full list of Python editing
  77. environments.
  78.  
  79. Recommended video:
  80. Mastering Python - Everything You Need To Know To Become a Python Master
  81. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p15xzjzR9j0
















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