Beginning Python

• This tutorial offers readers a thorough introduction to programming in Python 2.4, the portable, interpreted, object-oriented programming language that combines power with clear syntax
• Beginning programmers will quickly learn to develop robust, reliable, and reusable Python applications for Web development, scientific applications, and system tasks for users or administrators
• Discusses the basics of installing Python as well as the new features of Python release 2.4, which make it easier for users to create scientific and Web applications
• Features examples of various operating systems throughout the book, including Linux, Mac OS X/BSD, and Windows XP

Beginning Python

As a portable, open source, object-oriented programming language, Python combines remarkable power with clear syntax. And, as one of the fastest growing languages, Python manages systems and can be used for data mining and Web development. With this book, you''ll learn how to program using the latest release — Python 2.4 — and create robust, reliable, and reusable Python applications.

You''ll quickly see why Python is an ideal first programming language to learn, both for its ease of use and the fact that it offers interpreters for most operating system platforms. This in-depth look at Python 2.4 examines how it has become even easier for you to tell a computer what tasks you want it to do in an environment where you are in control.

What you will learn from this book

• Methods that can be used to quickly develop Web applications and scientific applications and to incorporate databases
• How to master system tasks on Linux,® Windows,®and Mac OS® X platforms
• How to handle — and recover from — any unforeseen problems
• Ways in which Python prides itself on its consistency, control, and ability to cope with change
• How Python incorporates modules, exceptions, dynamic typing, and very high level dynamic types and classes

Who this book is for

This book is for anyone who wants to learn how to program with Python or who wants to quickly learn how to use Python for rapid development of applications for the Web, scientific applications, bioinformatics, and applications for system tasks.

Wrox Beginning guides are crafted to make learning programming languages and technologies easier than you think, providing a structured, tutorial format that will guide you through all the techniques involved.

Peter Norton (NY, NY) has been working with Unix and Linux for over a decade at companies large and small solving problems with Linux. An officer of the NY Linux Users Group, he can be found on the nylug-talk mailing list. Peter coauthored Professional RHEL3. He works for a very large financial company in NYC, plying his Python and open-source skills.

Alex Samuel (San Diego, CA) has developed software for biology researchers and now studies highenergy physics at Caltech. Alex has worked on many GNU/Linux development tools, including GCC, and co-founded CodeSourcery LLC, a consulting firm specializing in GNU/Linux development tools.

David Aitel (NY, NY) is the CEO of Immunity and a coauthor of Shellcoder's Handbook.

Eric Foster-Johnson (Minneapolis, MN) uses Python extensively with Java, and is a veteran author, most recently completing Beginning Shell Scripting.

Leonard Richardson (San Francisco, CA) writes useful Python packages with silly names.

Jason Diamond (CA) Jason Diamond is a software development instructor for DevelopMentor and a consultant specializing in C++, .NET, Python, and XML. He spends most of his spare time contributing to open-source projects using his favorite language, Python.

Aleathea Parker (San Francisco CA) is a programmer working as a publication engineer for a major software company, coding primarily in Python and XSLT. She has a background in web applications and content management.

Michael Roberts (Puerto Rico) has been programming professionally in C, Perl, and Python for long enough that Python didn't actually exist when he started. He is the chief perpetrator of the wftk open-source workflow toolkit, and he swears that it will someday be finished, for certain values of "finished".