You Will Learn Python!   Zed Shaw has perfected the world's best system for learning Python. Follow it and you will succeed-just like the hundreds of thousands of beginners Zed has taught to date! You bring the discipline, commitment, and persistence; the author supplies everything else.   In Learn Python the Hard Way, Third Edition, you'll learn Python by working through 52 brilliantly crafted exercises. Read them. Type their code precisely. (No copying and pasting!) Fix your mistakes. Watch the programs run. As you do, you'll learn how software works; what good programs look like; how to read, write, and think about code; and how to find and fix your mistakes using tricks professional programmers use. Most importantly, you'll learn the following, which you need to start writing excellent Python software of your own: Installing a complete Python environment Organizing and writing code Basic mathematics Variables Strings and text Interacting with users Working with files Looping and logic Data structures using lists and dictionaries Program design Object-oriented programming Inheritance and composition Modules, classes, and objects Python packaging Debugging Automated testing Basic game development Basic web development It'll be hard at first. But soon, you'll just get it-and that will feel great!   This tutorial will reward you for every minute you put into it. Soon, you'll know one of the world's most powerful, popular programming languages. You'll be a Python programmer.   Watch Zed, too! The accompanying DVD contains 5+ hours of passionate, powerful teaching: a complete Python video course!

Table of Contents:
Preface 1 Acknowledgments 1 The Hard Way Is Easier 1 Do Not Copy-Paste 2 A Note on Practice and Persistence 3 A Warning for the Smarties 3   Exercise 0: The Setup 6 Mac OSX 6 Windows 7 Linux 9 Warnings for Beginners 10   Exercise 1: A Good First Program 12 What You Should See 14 Study Drills 15 Common Student Questions 16   Exercise 2: Comments and Pound Characters 18 What You Should See 18 Study Drills 18 Common Student Questions 19   Exercise 3: Numbers and Math 20 What You Should See 21 Study Drills 21 Common Student Questions 22   Exercise 4: Variables and Names 24 What You Should See 25 Study Drills 25 Common Student Questions 25   Exercise 5: More Variables and Printing 28 What You Should See 28 Study Drills 29 Common Student Questions 29   Exercise 6: Strings and Text 30 What You Should See 31 Study Drills 31 Common Student Questions 31   Exercise 7: More Printing. 32 What You Should See 32 Study Drills 32 Common Student Questions 33   Exercise 8: Printing, Printing 34 What You Should See 34 Study Drills 34 Common Student Questions 34   Exercise 9: Printing, Printing, Printing 36 What You Should See 36 Study Drills 36 Common Student Questions 37   Exercise 10: What Was That? 38 What You Should See 39 Escape Sequences 39 Study Drills 40 Common Student Questions 40   Exercise 11: Asking Questions 42 What You Should See 42 Study Drills 43 Common Student Questions 43   Exercise 12: Prompting People 44 What You Should See 44 Study Drills 44 Common Student Questions 45   Exercise 13: Parameters, Unpacking, Variables 46 Hold Up! Features Have Another Name 46 What You Should See 47 Study Drills 48 Common Student Questions 48   Exercise 14: Prompting and Passing 50 What You Should See 50 Study Drills 51 Common Student Questions 51   Exercise 15: Reading Files 54 What You Should See 55 Study Drills 55 Common Student Questions 56   Exercise 16: Reading and Writing Files 58 What You Should See 59 Study Drills 59 Common Student Questions 60   Exercise 17: More Files 62 What You Should See 63 Study Drills 63 Common Student Questions 63   Exercise 18: Names, Variables, Code, Functions 66 What You Should See 67 Study Drills 68 Common Student Questions 68   Exercise 19: Functions and Variables 70 What You Should See 71 Study Drills 71 Common Student Questions 71   Exercise 20: Functions and Files 74 Wh