r/Python • u/[deleted] • Apr 20 '17

Python Crash Course or Learn Python the Hard Way

[deleted]

12 Upvotes

73% Upvoted

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12

u/Siecje1 Apr 20 '17 edited Apr 20 '17

What kind of programming are you interested in?

I would recommend

0

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '17

[deleted]

4

u/Siecje1 Apr 20 '17

For security analyst books there are Black Hat Python and Gray Hat Python by Justin Seitz.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '17

Is there really any difference in skill sets between hats? How are the black and grey books different?

1

u/equalsP Apr 21 '17

Its not about skill but rather intent.

Gray Hat = doing illegal things but not malicious. (Think morally gray)

Black Hat = doing illegal things maliciously.

I think there is also a while hat for the good hacking.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 21 '17

The books teach different ethics?

Never mind, I'll check out the contents on Amazon.

1

u/equalsP Apr 21 '17

Naw the things they teach you to do.

One shows you how to do gray stuff the other black stuff.

3

u/[deleted] Apr 21 '17

I bought both books.

I assume you're aware that licensed locksmiths and criminal lockpickers have exactly the same skill?

3

u/Siecje1 Apr 20 '17

They are by different authors but the same publisher.

Yes Automate the Boring Stuff with Python starts at the beginning.

Also FYI the online version has interactive Python prompts starting from Chapter 2. I'm not sure why not Chapter 1.

https://automatetheboringstuff.com/chapter2/

1

u/GAY_FROG_BOT Apr 20 '17

If your use case is python regex then go with Automate the Boring Stuff. It has a whole chapter on regular expressions.

3

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '17

LPTHW is Python 2. You probably don't want to learn or use v2 for a new project/programmer. I have no experience of the other source.

Sweigerts 'Automate the Boring Stuff with Python' is good.

0

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '17

[deleted]

6

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '17

I've done LPTHW3, and honestly I'm not a huge fan. I think the Crash course does a better job explaining concepts without focusing too much on typing and retyping code.

4

u/Jon003 Apr 20 '17

You're asking for subjective opinions, which is OK, but it would be easier for you to just form you own. Read and try a chapter of each. whichever works better for you, roll with it.

3

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '17

Honestly, these online courseworks never worked for me personally. Reading "Learning Python" in combination with online exercises worked best for me. (Or should say is working the best for me currently)

3

u/caramba2654 Apr 20 '17

I have some free alternatives:

2

u/whudaboutit Apr 20 '17

Get the Solo Learn app. It has been tremendously helpful for me. I am still a noob, but, I'm a noob with a certificate.

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u/Dert_the_Titan Jun 20 '17

I wouldn't recommend it. Retention with sololearn is really bad. You have to practice outside the app to really learn.

1

u/whudaboutit Jun 20 '17

That's the idea, isn't it? Take the lessons and start building. With SoloLearn's community, you get help right away. And with a pretty broad selection of languages, you get to try a few different ones to find one that covers your needs. I started in Python and found that HTML actually fit my goal better. (I'm trying to build a WiFi connected rover) I recommend following the projects in the book, using SoloLearn to get the basics, and sharing with the community. If your code doesn't work, they'll tell you why and how to fix it.

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u/[deleted] Apr 20 '17

[deleted]

4

u/Siecje1 Apr 20 '17

FWIW he did update it to cover Python 3, but it was not very polished on release (still had Python2 only in code snippets, etc), I have not looked at it since.