Looking for a programming resource for newbees

B

bambooforest

Hi all,

I'm from a Linguistics background and am new(er) to programming. Could
someone recommend a book or resource that teaches programming aspects
with Python? Python I hear is a very appropriate language for handling
text and language processing.

I'm searching for a resource that examines programming from a case
study like perspective. Such as, you're faced with problem of type X -
and here's how you should look at it to break it down to form an
optimal solution (e.g. because this type or problem is handled well
with this type of data structure, etc.).

I've looked at the online Python tutorial at python.org and resources
like O'Reilly's Python in a Nutshell, but they seem to teach you
language syntax and concepts like data types, or assume you already
know how to program. I'm searching for something that teaches
programming.

Thanks everyone,

-Steve
 
G

Gaz

bambooforest ha escrito:
Hi all,

I'm from a Linguistics background and am new(er) to programming. Could
someone recommend a book or resource that teaches programming aspects
with Python? Python I hear is a very appropriate language for handling
text and language processing.

I'm searching for a resource that examines programming from a case
study like perspective. Such as, you're faced with problem of type X -
and here's how you should look at it to break it down to form an
optimal solution (e.g. because this type or problem is handled well
with this type of data structure, etc.).

I've looked at the online Python tutorial at python.org and resources
like O'Reilly's Python in a Nutshell, but they seem to teach you
language syntax and concepts like data types, or assume you already
know how to program. I'm searching for something that teaches
programming.

Thanks everyone,

-Steve

Hi Steve,

If you know little about programming, you should get any book or google
for "programming tutorials" or something like that, no matter which
language uses that book/website as example. Programing is just learning
simple basic operation and tools to help you develop algorithms to
reach your goals. Once you have mastered those simple operation and
basic programming skills, read again the Pytutorial and find out how to
translate your little programs programmed with the language you used to
learn.
 
B

BartlebyScrivener

Steve,

Try this.

http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/alan.gauld/

If you were at the Python.org site, and clicked on "Getting started,"
the first sentence says, "Are you completely new to programming?"
That's you, right? ;)

http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide/NonProgrammers

After you learn a little bit, if you really want "case studies" then
move on to the Python Cookbook, but that is pretty advanced coding.

A newer book called Beginning Python

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0201748843/inscape20/

comes at it with a brief intro and then gets right into actual
projects, but I don't think the writing is as well done as say, Chris
Fehily's Python Quickstart Guide.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0201748843/inscape20/

but caution here because it is 2001, a little long in tooth but snappy
writing and gobs of examples.

rick
 
A

Alex Martelli

bambooforest said:
Hi all,

I'm from a Linguistics background and am new(er) to programming. Could

Welcome! Some of my best memories date from back when I did
computational linguistics (with emphasis on the 'computational', but in
close cooperation with people with emphasis on the 'linguistics', such
as that wonderful scholar and gentleman, Tullio de Mauro).
I've looked at the online Python tutorial at python.org and resources
like O'Reilly's Python in a Nutshell, but they seem to teach you
language syntax and concepts like data types, or assume you already
know how to program.

As the author of said Nutshell, I concur: it *most definitely* does not
teach you programming!!!
I'm searching for something that teaches
programming.

I suggest
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1598631128/103-7955757-3523837?v=glanc
e&n=283155>


Alex
 
B

bruno at modulix

bambooforest said:
Hi all,

I'm from a Linguistics background and am new(er) to programming. Could
someone recommend a book or resource that teaches programming aspects
with Python? Python I hear is a very appropriate language for handling
text and language processing.

You may want to have a look at David Mertz's "Text Processing in Python"
I'm searching for a resource that examines programming from a case
study like perspective. Such as, you're faced with problem of type X -
and here's how you should look at it to break it down to form an
optimal solution (e.g. because this type or problem is handled well
with this type of data structure, etc.).

I've looked at the online Python tutorial at python.org and resources
like O'Reilly's Python in a Nutshell, but they seem to teach you
language syntax and concepts like data types, or assume you already
know how to program. I'm searching for something that teaches
programming.

Learning to program usually imply learning the syntax and concepts of at
least one language.

Like with natural languages, there are some concepts that are difficult
if not impossible to express in some languages - so sometime you need to
learn a new language if you want to grasp the concept. Some other
concepts you'll find, one way of another, in almost any language, so for
more advanced books/tutorials/whatever, knowledge of these concepts is a
prerequisite - just like a book on grammar suppose that the reader knows
at least how to read and write, what's a verb, a sentence, a word, etc...

Also, like natural languages, programming languages also have idioms,
and learning these idioms is a non-trivial part of learning a language.
 

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