What I've Learned So Far (Python in 30 Days)(rodriguezcommaj.com)
rodriguezcommaj.com
What I've Learned So Far (Python in 30 Days)
http://rodriguezcommaj.com/python-in-30-days-halfway-there/
10 comments
"found my holy grail Django books"
Curious - what are these?
Curious - what are these?
I'm curious what problems you ran into with Python on Windows. I develop with Python on both a Windows desktop and a Macbook. I found moving between the two platforms pretty easy with the exception of certain database python packages like psycopg2.
The command line and a file editor is all you really need. If you want to keep your file editor consistent, you can work off vim on both. Granted, I prefer Visual Studios if I'm on a Windows machine.
The command line and a file editor is all you really need. If you want to keep your file editor consistent, you can work off vim on both. Granted, I prefer Visual Studios if I'm on a Windows machine.
I am sure that a lot of it is specific to me and what I am used to, so many other people probably have a good experience working with Python on Windows. The main thing is that I am just not comfortable using Powershell and the directory structure on Windows. While I am still somewhat new to using the command line on a unix environment, I feel that a lot of commands are almost muscle memory, so I was quickly frustrated when things didn't work correctly using Powershell.
I know there are a ton of arguments for Visual Studio, and I actually use it at work on a daily basis (I am a front-end designer and am usually split 50/50 between VS and Photoshop/Illustrator), but I honestly just don't like it. It always feels too bloated and the stuff I do code, I usually do by hand anyways so I don't rely on intellisense or any code-completion. I do use Sublime Text cross-platform as well - but like I said in my article, I prefer using vim on a linux box via ssh from my iPad. It is familiar and portable, which is what I want at this point.
I know there are a ton of arguments for Visual Studio, and I actually use it at work on a daily basis (I am a front-end designer and am usually split 50/50 between VS and Photoshop/Illustrator), but I honestly just don't like it. It always feels too bloated and the stuff I do code, I usually do by hand anyways so I don't rely on intellisense or any code-completion. I do use Sublime Text cross-platform as well - but like I said in my article, I prefer using vim on a linux box via ssh from my iPad. It is familiar and portable, which is what I want at this point.
For me, I found it a pain to get easy_install and pip working, which made installing packages frustrating. After figuring that out, though, it's fine, with a command prompt and Notepad++.
I went through the LPTHW program a few months back and it was definitely the best system or book I found on the subject. To be honest, I need to go back through now and do it again, using your advice to do each lesson twice.
My first go through, I kind of rushed through parts because I had an idea I wanted to try out and just wanted to learn enough to get it done (which I did :D)but I think I cheated myself out on some essential Python knowledge.
My first go through, I kind of rushed through parts because I had an idea I wanted to try out and just wanted to learn enough to get it done (which I did :D)but I think I cheated myself out on some essential Python knowledge.
Yeah, I am definitely glad that I am sticking to some sort of system when doing the exercises, but I admit to not doing every extra credit and glancing over some parts. I could see myself going back through a lot of exercises a year from now as a refresher.
I am hoping that going through it will lay a good foundation for programming, though. With any luck, I will find myself in a position of knowing a fair amount about programming and being able to build up that knowledge by tackling harder material and tutorials while building programs that I am interested in.
Thanks for reading and commenting, by the way. I appreciate any feedback and it's a great motivator when doing an experiment like this.
I am hoping that going through it will lay a good foundation for programming, though. With any luck, I will find myself in a position of knowing a fair amount about programming and being able to build up that knowledge by tackling harder material and tutorials while building programs that I am interested in.
Thanks for reading and commenting, by the way. I appreciate any feedback and it's a great motivator when doing an experiment like this.
Sublime Text 2 + Cygwin on Windows works just fine.
Did you build that Wordpress theme on Starkers? I love it!
I did, and thank you. Just heard that Keir Whitaker and Elliot Jay Stocks released an updated version - http://viewportindustries.com/products/starkers/
Mine is pretty damned basic, very stripped down. I've had other incarnations of personal sites before under a variety of domain names, with some pretty complex themes, but in the end I wanted something very simple, relatively light weight, and dead easy to maintain. My goal is to be able to focus on writing and posting content over maintaining or styling a theme.
Plus, with a simple style like that, it allows the content to style the page when I post images, not have the page overwhelm any content.
Thanks again!
Mine is pretty damned basic, very stripped down. I've had other incarnations of personal sites before under a variety of domain names, with some pretty complex themes, but in the end I wanted something very simple, relatively light weight, and dead easy to maintain. My goal is to be able to focus on writing and posting content over maintaining or styling a theme.
Plus, with a simple style like that, it allows the content to style the page when I post images, not have the page overwhelm any content.
Thanks again!
8 months ago, I couldn't write a single snippet of Python. I had a simple site I wanted to build just for experimental purposes, and kept asking my friends for help, until I realized that it just wasn't going to happen.
I initially started with Ruby with the intent of learning Rails shortly after. However, I had read enough posts on HN to have me switch to Python with LPTHW by Zed A. Shaw. I got all the way up to the exercises for building your own game, and, frankly, I just quit. I felt I was ready to dive into Django. Boy was I wrong. There were a lot of things that I didn't understand and I had done the simple exercise on the Django Project site three times!
Anyway, I kept at it. I continued to Google topics I didn't understand. I went through two Django books and numerous YouTube and videos slowly gripping some of the ideas before I found my saving grace written by, none other than, one of the creators himself. After that, I was able to push out a nice looking site in two days with a lot of help from Twitter Bootstrap.
I just want to say that learning by doing is the way to go. It took me far more than 30 days to learn everything that I know, but this is because I had to learn these along the way, too: command line, working with Linux, using a more powerful editor (Vim - can't go back to notepad), version control with Git, and then deploying, which can be a beast of its own.
Keep at it!