Kuhlman's tutorials pretty good

[urnerk]

<posted & mailed>

I like Dave Kuhlman's tutorials as well. They seem to be in the right place
at the website now:

http://www.python.org/topics/learn/prog.html

However, in looking over 201, I see some scrambling of source code examples,
vs. surrounding text, e.g. when he's getting into regular expressions, some
of the examples have nothing to do with the explanations that follow.
Notably sections 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5. 2.6 is mostly OK except:

"""
Put together a new string with string concatenation from pieces of the
original string and replacement values. You can use string slices to get
the sub-strings of the original string. In our case, the following gets the
start of the string, adds the first replacement, adds the middle of the
original string, adds the second replacement, and finally, adds the last
part of the original string:

lineDef = delimitedList(fieldDef)
"""

Kirby

 

[Fred Ma]

I find Dave Kuhlman's tutorials very good, and very complementary
to the stock tutorial that is part of the python download. Even
when they cover the same thing, if it's not that clear in one
tutorial, reading the other makes it quite clear. But one can
swim around the Python website for ages before rummaging into
Kulhman's tutorials (Python 101 and 201). I thought it was easy
to run into a few days ago. Has the website changed? Aren't
Kuhlman's tutorials good enough to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with
the other links in "Python for Programmers"? I thought that's
where it was before. Granted, it's got a few sections (like
Using Regular Expressions and Match Objects, 2.3 & 2.4 of 201)
that need editting, but invaluable nevertheless. From the point
of view of someone still waiting for Learning Python to come.

Fred

 

[Fred Ma]

My browser crashed, so I'm typing this again. That Deja Vu feeling.

I like Dave Kuhlman's tutorials as well. They seem to be in the right place
at the website now:

http://www.python.org/topics/learn/prog.html

Yes, but how do you get to it? I went to www.python.org, clicked on
Documentation at the top. Nada. I went back to www.python.org,
clicked on Introductions to Python, then looked at the links for
programmers. Nada. I'm not even sure that I found my way to his
tutorials via the python site yesterday.. Today, I ended up finding
them with Google.

However, in looking over 201, I see some scrambling of source code examples,
vs. surrounding text, e.g. when he's getting into regular expressions, some
of the examples have nothing to do with the explanations that follow.
Notably sections 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5. 2.6 is mostly OK except:

"""
Put together a new string with string concatenation from pieces of the
original string and replacement values. You can use string slices to get
the sub-strings of the original string. In our case, the following gets the
start of the string, adds the first replacement, adds the middle of the
original string, adds the second replacement, and finally, adds the last
part of the original string:

lineDef = delimitedList(fieldDef)
"""

Yes, they seem rearranged. I'm not sure what Dr. Kuhlman's time is
like, but his tutorials are very good, and thus of great value to
Python newbies everywhere.

Fred

P.S. Posted and mailed to the same recipients.
Bcc is the only way I can hide the email of Dr. Kuhlman.
His email is on his tutorial, but perhaps its absence here will
save him from a tiny bit of spam.

 

[A.M. Kuchling]

Yes, but how do you get to it? I went to www.python.org, clicked on
Documentation at the top. Nada. I went back to www.python.org,

"Beginner's Guide", which is in the sidebar links and in the main body of
the page.

--amk

 

[Dave Kuhlman]

Fred Ma wrote:

[snip]

Yes, they seem rearranged. I'm not sure what Dr. Kuhlman's time
is like, but his tutorials are very good, and thus of great value
to
Python newbies everywhere.

Whoa! How did all that happen? I believe I tried one too many
fancy things in TeX/LaTeX, which is definitely not my native
language.

I've simplified a few things in the source document, and I believe
that these errors are fixed, now.

Thanks for pointing this out to me. Also, thanks for the
compliments.

Dave

 

[Fred Ma]

Whoa! How did all that happen? I believe I tried one too many
fancy things in TeX/LaTeX, which is definitely not my native
language.

I've simplified a few things in the source document, and I believe
that these errors are fixed, now.

Thanks for pointing this out to me. Also, thanks for the
compliments.

That's hilarious. Talk about shocking feedback.
Thanks for the fix, and for creating the tutorials in
the first place.

By the way, it seems there are two different sections
at referring to tutorials for programmers:

http://www.python.org/doc/Intros.html
http://www.python.org/topics/learn/prog.html

Wouldn't it be good if both included Dave's tutorials?

Fred

P.S. Thanks to Kirby and AMK for pointing out the 2nd
location.

 

[gabor]

Fred Ma wrote:

[snip]

Yes, they seem rearranged. I'm not sure what Dr. Kuhlman's time
is like, but his tutorials are very good, and thus of great value
to
Python newbies everywhere.

Whoa! How did all that happen? I believe I tried one too many
fancy things in TeX/LaTeX, which is definitely not my native
language.

hmmm..could you also put on the web the latex sources? (or a ps/pdf
version?)...

or if it is already there, i can't find it

gabor

 

[Dave Kuhlman]

gabor wrote:

[snip]

hmmm..could you also put on the web the latex sources? (or a
ps/pdf version?)...

or if it is already there, i can't find it

The TeX/LaTeX sources for these tutorials and postscript (.ps)
and PDF files are in:

http://www.rexx.com/~dkuhlman/python_x01_training.zip

A few comments:

I was able, just now, to generate ps and pdf files. Thanks for
asking this question. You motivated me to try to generate them. I
did not know that I could do that.

The fonts in the ps files are not so good, and the fonts in the pdf
files are terrible. Maybe they will appear better on your system.
If you look at them, please let me know.

In both the ps and pdf files, example source code files that are
included into the LaTeX source do not show. Only the file name
appears. I don't know whether this is normal, or if it indicates
an error on my part.

There are a number of .tex files (the sources), a Makefile, and a
number of example files (which are sucked in when I build the HTML
files). These sources are intended for use with the Python
documentation system. You can find out about that at:

http://docs.python.org/doc/doc.html

I don't know whether you are familiar with the Python documentation
system. If you decide to generate ps or pdf files yourself, you
will need the Python source code distribution and other things
besides. You will also need to modify my Makefile. The Python
documentation system is great, by the way.

If I can be of help with your use of these files, please let me
know.

Dave

 

[Stefan Axelsson]

The fonts in the ps files are not so good, and the fonts in the pdf
files are terrible. Maybe they will appear better on your system.
If you look at them, please let me know.

Well, that's a known problem with LaTeX/dvips (they'll print out nicely
though). Try pdflatex instead, and you'll get beautiful pdf files with
nice embedded fonts. There's some incompatibility (but I've honestly
never run into it) and everybody I know have made the switch.

Stefan,

 

[Dave Reed]

gabor wrote:

[snip]

hmmm..could you also put on the web the latex sources? (or a
ps/pdf version?)...

or if it is already there, i can't find it

The TeX/LaTeX sources for these tutorials and postscript (.ps)
and PDF files are in:

http://www.rexx.com/~dkuhlman/python_x01_training.zip

A few comments:

I was able, just now, to generate ps and pdf files. Thanks for
asking this question. You motivated me to try to generate them. I
did not know that I could do that.

The fonts in the ps files are not so good, and the fonts in the pdf
files are terrible. Maybe they will appear better on your system.
If you look at them, please let me know.

<snip>

I've always had luck with:

dvips -Ppdf file.dvi -o
ps2pdf file.ps

I believe the -Ppdf embeds the fonts in the PostScript file and then
ps2pdf uses those giving better results.

Dave