Think Python, 3rd Edition

Preface

Who Is This Book For?

If you want to learn to program, you have come to the right place. Python is one of the best programming languages for beginners—and it is also one of the most in-demand skills.

You have also come at the right time, because learning to program now is probably easier than ever. With virtual assistants like ChatGPT, you don’t have to learn alone. Throughout this book, I’ll suggest ways you can use these tools to accelerate your learning.

This book is primarily for people who have never programmed before and people who have some experience in another programming language. If you have substantial experience in Python, you might find the first few chapters too slow.

One of the challenges of learning to program is that you have to learn two languages: one is the programming language itself; the other is the vocabulary we use to talk about programs. If you learn only the programming language, you are likely to have problems when you need to interpret an error message, read documentation, talk to another person, or use virtual assistants. If you have done some programming, but you have not also learned this second language, I hope you find this book helpful.

Goals of the Book

Writing this book, I tried to be careful with the vocabulary. I define each term when it first appears. And there is a glossary at the end of each chapter that reviews the terms that were introduced.

I also tried to be concise. The less mental effort it takes to read the book, the ...