Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science

For my whole life I've been meaning to "get around" to programming. But online tutorials could not teach me anything useful, and the introductory texts I had acquired through the years all told me one thing: that I shouldn't bother. Zelle, though, has written an outstanding introductory text to not only Python but also programming. He emphasizes what many authors do not - that programming is as much a way of thinking as it is a set of languages. To program effectively, one must problem solve. It is an obvious point oft ignored by other authors. Zelle hammers it home. After studying his book for just one week, I was able to code my own set of non-trivial and useful programs with minimal reference to his book or to a guide elsewhere.What I don't like is that Zelle's discussion of graphic design relies upon a module of his own design (graphics.py) and NOT a standardized toolkit that a user would benefit from learning. Zelle's logic is that toolkits can overwhelm the beginning programmer and that any introductory text must include heavy discussion of graphic design (because graphic design is what interests most people). So he must figure out a way - and he writes a very good module - to teach GUI design to beginners. While I see Zelle's point, it was frustrating to use a module that Zelle himself admitted wouldn't be of much use down the road.Ultimately, though, I highly recommend this book for beginners, as it will teach you to think like a programmer, and understanding that thought process is more important than mastering the syntax of any language.

I purchased this book because I needed a good introduction not just to Python, but to programming in general. I already knew a bit of Python, and was experienced in BASH and Matlab, so perhaps that made the transition easier for me.This book is good for beginners and learning the basics of programming. Unlike the online docs (which are useful in their own right), this book goes through the steps involved in writing your own programs. The exercises at the end of each chapter are also very helpful. There's no better way to learn than by writing programs...As a bonus, the author wrote a graphics library, which is just a wrapper around the Tkinter library. It's pretty handy if you want to do simple graphics stuff in a hurry, but if you want to do actual graphics, you'll need to look beyond this book.A couple downsides: I didn't see lambda functions, filters, or maps in there, but this is a very minor complaint, and when you're finished with this book, you can easily just look at the online docs to learn about them. And if you want an in-depth look at modules (e.g. sys, os), you'll have to look elsewhere. But this doesn't detract from the book at all.

This is a great intro book for those looking for a gentle introduction to programing. That said it claims to be an introduction to computer science, which it is not. It offers almost no coverage of theoretical computing issues that are the hallmark of the classic intro CS books.In someways the distinction between intro CS and programing is unfair; however, it does track with the reality of freshman intro CS at all the universities I've known. Students in intro CS already know how to program. They may not know about von Neumann or Turning, their code is ugly, and they've never seen assembly, but they can program. It's because they can program that they are ready for an introduction to computer science.This book is great for getting to the level of the average, even beyond the average, student in intro college CS. It, unlike intro CS (despite claims to the contrary), starts assuming nothing and builds forward in a logical way to teach readers how to make a computer do something. I would recommend this book for a programing class for non-majors, a high school class, adult education, intro to programing self study etc.In the same way that this is not a real introduction to computer science it is not an introduction to Python. There are many books that would be vastly superior introductions to the Python language for those who are already competent programmers.The real genius here is taking a well organized approach to introducing programing using a great language. This allows readers to get starting writing interesting programs quickly and doing so without learning horrible habits or without regard for the fundamentals of computer science. This in turn builds the enthusiasm it takes to survive the jump from programming to CS. In short, I wish that every student in CS101 had used this book for a class in high school, but I'd never use this book for CS101.

I am a designer aspiring to develop stronger skills in JavaScript and ActionScript. I realized it would be helpful for me to get a better grounding in the core concepts and most general patterns of programming. I was attracted to this book for the subtitle, "An Introduction to Computer Science", and I had heard that Python is similar to the scripting type of languages that I need. I looked at a number of other books for this introductory purpose, one of which was "Learn to Program" (using Ruby) published by Pragmatic Programmers. Although "Learn to Program" is a very well done book (and Ruby similarly clear like Python), it is just a little too basic, light, and brief for what I wanted. "Python Programming" is great for beginners, but it also gives the kind of thorough grounding in clear concepts (a 'Computer Science 101') that is great for beginners to learn with and for experts to review and refresh themselves with.