Getting Started with "The Python Thing"

Some notes and links on Python

• Python: http://www.python.org

• Get infected by watching "A Python Love Story":
  http://www.ibiblio.org/obp/pyBiblio/pythonvideo.php

• Learn!

  • Learning is easy, just read "Dive Into Python":
    http://diveintopython.org/toc/

  • The successor for Python 3.x (incomplete): "Dive Into Python 3":
    http://diveintopython3.org/

  • "A Byte of Python": http://www.byteofpython.info/

  • "Google's Python Class": http://code.google.com/edu/languages/google-python-class/

  • "Programming in Python 3: A Complete Introduction to the Python Language" by Mark Summerfield:
    http://proquestcombo.safaribooksonline.com/9780137155149

  • "Think Python - How to Think Like a Computer Scientist":
    http://www.greenteapress.com/thinkpython/thinkpython.html

  • And for kids (8 years and older) "Snake Wrangling for Kids":
    http://www.briggs.net.nz/log/writing/snake-wrangling-for-kids/

• Free Python Programming Books

  • 10 Free Python Programming Books:
    http://www.coderholic.com/free-python-programming-books/
    (Also check the comments for more)

  • Free Programming Books - Python:
    http://www.e-booksdirectory.com/programming.php#python

• Online videos showing how to use python for various tasks:
  http://www.showmedo.com/videos/python

• A good blog post "Eight tips to start with Python":
  http://tarekziade.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/eight-tips-to-start-with-python/

• Adhere to the common style!

  • Syle guide: http://www.voidspace.org.uk/python/articles/python_style_guide.shtml

  • PEP 8 style guide: http://www.python.org/peps/pep-0008.html

  • The following weblog article by Guido_van_Rossum was (unfortunately) just an April fools' day joke, but the suggestion is quite smart and applicable:
    http://www.artima.com/weblogs/viewpost.jsp?thread=101968

• Check out the "Python Cookbook" for educational recipes to common tasks:
  http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Cookbook/Python/

• And hone your skills and excel in an interesting and playful way by going through various levels of the Python Challenge

• "Software Carpentry" - software development practices for scientists and engineers:
  http://www.swc.scipy.org/

• Examples in articles:

  • "Why not Python" on Linux Journal (solving Sudoku and others):
    http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/8858

• Learning on other Python topics:

  • Descriptors: http://bellsouthpwp.net/m/e/mefjr75/python/Descriptor.htm

Idiomatic Python

• Style Guides

  • "Google Python Style Guide:" http://google-styleguide.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/pyguide.html

Python and Mathematics

• NumPy, a full speed, native mathematical libraries with efficient matrix functionality

  • Full speed, native mathematical libraries with efficient matrix functionality

  • Online NumPy manual: http://docs.scipy.org/doc/numpy/

  • Guide to NumPy by Travis Oliphant: http://www.tramy.us/numpybook.pdf

  • Quickstart Guide "NumPy: lock 'n load": http://mentat.za.net/numpy/intro/intro.html

  • Tentative NumPy tutorial: http://www.scipy.org/Tentative_NumPy_Tutorial

• SciPy (pronounced "Sigh Pie"), is open-source software for mathematics, science, and engineering

  • SciPy is a collection of mathematical algorithms and convenience functions built on the NumPy extension for Python

  • http://scipy.org/

• MatPlotLib, the graph plotter for Python

  • http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/

• Mayavi2, the scientific data visualization and 3D plotting tool in Python

  • Users Guide: http://code.enthought.com/projects/mayavi/docs/development/html/mayavi/

• various:

  • stuff on "Statistical Computing with Python:" http://www.astro.cornell.edu/staff/loredo/statpy/