Replying to

Computer scientist Edgar Dijkstra once said that people who learned to program in BASIC were "mentally mutilated beyond hope of regeneration". Uh, sure. I think this quote tells you more about Dijkstra than it does about BASIC programmers. 2/10

(It's no wonder that Alan Kay joked that arrogance could be measured in picodijkstras.)

There's a certain type of programmer who views their mastery of programming as a proud and exclusive accomplishment. They *like it* when programming is something most people can't do. 3/19

They dislike it when something makes it easy and accessible. This is why when little ol' me writes a book that teaches simple programming in a simple way, they find its popularity inconceivable and start making up vaguely worded reasons why that's a bad thing. 4/10

I can point out that readers have emailed me saying Automate the Boring Stuff is what made programming finally click for them when other tutorials didn't, and that they used it as a starting point for what later became their career as a software engineer. 5/10

But that's not going to convince anyone who is giving the scary (yet always vague and unsupported) warnings of learning-this-way-will-forever-destroy-your-mind. 6/10

Some people's approach to education is to elevate their students' knowledge and understanding. This is hard, because some (or even many) people will have difficulty with concepts even though others easily grasp them. 7/10

Some people will point to the students who easily get it as the reason they should fail the students who don't. They don't see their job as to elevate understanding, but to *filter* for it.

Conveniently, they themselves pass this filter they've decided is important. 8/10

They point to the naturals saying, "See? They took my class/read my book and got it. It's the failing students that are the problem."

Which is why when something like BASIC or Python comes along, they are quick to invent reasons why they are "bad". 9/10

Anyway, if you aren't scared of permanent brain damage, I have a new Python book that you can read for free online: "The Big Book of Small Python Project"

https://inventwithpython.com/bigbookpython/

10/10

Replying to

Your content is the reason I love Python so much I got a tattoo of it lol and also the first resource I hand to everyone (veteran programmers and newer learners alike) because it's so masterfully written and easy to understand at any level without being obnoxiously "hand-hold-y"

Replying to

Keep doing what you’re doing. I once wrote a blog about this - so many people were mad and someone tried to get me fired Some people just don’t want other people to have fun with code.

Replying to

It's more practical in the sense that I was quickly able to think in terms of code when I needed to do automate things at work.

Learning data structures, algorithms etc. can come later because while they're important they're not immediately useful.

That's the power of the Python ecosystem: for as long as you're doing something that other people have already figured out, you can stand on the shoulders of *their* grasp of data structures, algorithms, and all the rest.

You can learn that deeper stuff if and when you need to.

Replying to

Lot’s of weird opinions out there - to be sure I have had to modify mine over time

Replying to

I'm a computer science teacher and engaging projects certainly won't **mess you up** Sometimes there are different ways to do things, but that's worth knowing too. My students have done very well at uni and most have at least dipped into your books.

Replying to

I have both the versions of ATBSWP, thanks to nostarch & humble bundle. I enjoyed it. I am from a non programming/ CS background. Your writing on python is clicked for me. Infact, I preordered your latest book hardcopy as well & I have completed this one as well. You are awesome.

Replying to

I first grokked Python after reading your "Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python" book. I don't think anyone ever recommends it as a serious introduction to Python, but it worked great for me!

People should learn from whatever material seems most accessible to them.

Replying to

When I was a wee lad, the litmus test was the ability to manage pointers. I know they still exist but these days one can have a long, productive career and retire without ever seeing one in a professional context. What’s the litmus test now?

Replying to

Gatekeeping is toxic, it spreads to others and it's a detractor to our entire industry.

Thank you for this thread sir.

Replying to

The book was my first thorough exposure to Python and I took to computer science well enough to maintain a tech job

성중립화장실

3,404 Tweets

여자화장실

13.5K Tweets

왕자님 비주얼

1,535 Tweets