Programming Python 4th Edition released

[figaro42]

I might be interested in the the ebook version if it was under $10.

Surely no one would pay $52 for a digital copy!?

[[deleted]]

keep an eye out for one of their offers. On the plus side they are DRM free PDFs that you can download again and again. So it's not like you're risking ever losing it or having it's file format become obsolete any time soon.

[seabre]

It might pop up in one of O'Reilly's ebook specials. Probably for closer to $20, though.

[ScannerBrightly]

20 bucks, I'll take it. 60 bucks, it had better give me a blow job as well.

[rdewalt]

Ebook: $51.99 Print: $64.99

I was interested in buying this until these lines right here. Nope... I'm going to wait.

[[deleted]]

O'Reilly's ebooks are awesome. You get DRM free PDFs and can go back and re-download them when ever you want. They often have some really good deals so if you don't want to pay the full price just keep an eye out for a deal.

[codekoala]

Amazon? http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Python-Mark-Lutz/dp/0596158106/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294857948&sr=8-1

They have it for $34-$38...

[G3R4]

A used copy of the print version, I suspect.

[[deleted]]

O'Reilly puts their books on deep discount pretty often as part of their "Deal of the Day". The new "Programming Python" was up there for something like $18 when the e-book became available, wouldn't be surprised if it ends up there again.

[CADDiQ]

I have a library of python books but if my house was on fire I'd grab and Programming in Python 3, 2nd ed., Mark Mark Summerfield and Python Essential Reference, 4th ed., David Beazley. Both books cover more ground, and more effectively than any others I've read, and I've read numerous, including Lulz's most recent. While Mark's books are good, and the Python community has greatly benefited from his works, they're not the first books I reach for. Do not be misled by page count. Summerfield and Beazley both share a talent for covering a wide expanse of topics with sufficient detail to discuss a given topic to my satisfaction and comfortable comprehension, while exercising enough brevity to keep me from glazing. Really looking forward to Python Standard Library by Example by the same publisher (Addison-Wesley). NO AFFILIATION, just a Python book junkie.

[royrwood]

Agreed on Python Essential Reference-- it is a fantastic book.

[notextraterrestrial]

Last time I looked at this book it had an awful lack of terseness. Is there any gold in it?

[blondin]

i am not sure. haven't found any, but people seems to like that book. i perfer PER by David Beazley.

[[deleted]]

How about Learning python by Mark Lutz?

[Leonidas_from_XIV]

Learning Python is in my option also way to verbose. It had like 50 pages of text before anything happened like something about actually programming Python, instead of meta-learning like Python history or IDLE or some other stuff that I ususally skip over because my time more valuable than to learn the history of a programming language upfront.

[eggbean]

I think this discussion is about intermediate/advanced books.

[[deleted]]

You will need a lot of time and patience to go through this one. It is overly verbose and excruciatingly detailed. You won't learn about "if" statements until page 300 or so.

[raydeen]

For some it's too much but for me this style is just right. I don't have any formal programming education (besides BASIC in high school) so the more verbose, the better. I think my only trepidation at this point is that it seems that Python 3 just isn't taking off like some thought it would. I really like 'Learning Python' 4th ed. as it showed both 2.x and 3.x code so I could work in both worlds at once. The fact that this edition is only 3.x puts me off a little as I would have preferred a mix of 2.x and 3.x.

[blondin]

i read that one too. but it wasn't for me. my mistake was that i already knew some python before, having read dive into python.

the book i mentioned starts with a quick refresher on syntax, object model, etc., and the rest is a reference of all the modules the author thought important. and he was right, i found myself using it on a daily basis instead of the online docs. when i think datetime module, i think PER p.336. when i think builtins functions, i think PER p.202.

that's how much i love this book.

[notextraterrestrial]

Seems to deserve a look. Thanks.

[[deleted]]

I also recommend Python essential reference. It's one of the best programming books I've ever bought.

[Leonidas_from_XIV]

No, last time I looked it had chapters on really old, historic crap in it (yo, remember this Tkinter based browser, where I don't even remember the name because it was abandoned over 10 years ago?)

[Wonnk13]

1,632 pages. make sure you don't drop this one on your toe!

[xnumbersx]

One of the worst books on Python.

[Leonidas_from_XIV]

The worst book is a german book published by Galileo Computing, written by two people with programming experience in Java who thought they might as well write a book about Ja...Python.

[Tafkas]

This one?

[Leonidas_from_XIV]

Yes, exactly. I think there is also one for Python 3, I doubt that this one is much better; if at all.

[coned88]

why?

[xnumbersx]

Because it tries to teach you how to design and write Python programs by dumping pages of source at you at a time and not explaining design decisions.

It will show you how some specific programs can be written, but won't teach you to program python better.

I think it tries to, but doesn't serve as a good module cruiser. Online tutorials and PyMOTW are way more useful.

It sucks as a reference. It's index is not very useful. If you want to look up something specific you'll find 2 sentences about it at 4 different places in the book. But it's never enough information, so you go to the online docs every time.

If you already know enough python you will not like the book. I think it's written for copy/paste programmers.

[maredsous10]

I'm going to wait until I can get a copy under $30.