Author(s): Zed A. Shaw Publisher: Addison-Wesley, Year: 2017 ISBN: 9780134692883
Improvements in the Fourth Edition
The fourth edition of Learn Python The Hard Way now uses Python 3.6. I’ve standardized on this version of Python because it has a new improved string formatting system that is easier to use than the previous 4 (or 3, I forget, there were many). There are a few problems with Python 3.6 for beginners, but I’ll be helping you navigate these issues in the book. A particularly hairy problem is Python 3.6 has very poor error messages in some key areas that I’ll be helping you understand. I have also improved the videos based on my experiences over the last five years teaching people Python. In the past the videos simply let you watch me do the xercise. The fourth edition videos also show you how to break—andthen fix—every exercise. This skill is called debugging.” It will teach you how to fix problems you run into but also how Python runs the programs you’re creating. The goal of this new methodology is to build a mental model of how Python runs your code so you can more easily figure out why it’s broken. You’ll also learn many useful tricks for debugging broken software.Lastly, the fourth edition fully supports Microsoft Windows 10 from beginning to end. The previous edition focused mostly on the Unix style systems such as macOS and Linux, with Windows being more of an afterthought. At the time I started writing the fourth edition Microsoft had started to take open source tools and developers seriously, and it was difficult to ignore them as a serious Python development platform. The videos will feature Microsoft windows using Python in various scenarios and will also show macOS and Linux for full compatibility. I’ll tell you about any gotchas on each platform, cover installation instructions, and rovide any other tips I can give you.