I've taken a good first step to overcoming my Pythonaphobia. I was given the chance to review the third edition of Practical Programming by Paul Gries, Jennifer Campbell and Jason Montojo published by The Pragmatic Bookshelf.
It is an excellent introductory book aimed primarily at people studying in a university setting. It teaches both Python and solid programming techniques. I feel that it would be an excellent second or third book for somebody whose introduction to programming has been via the Raspberry Pi.
From reading the book, I was able to see some strengths of Python compared with languages with which I am more comfortable. For instance, I really liked doctest and, thanks to Practical Programming, Python's straightforward object model.
I continue to find Python's syntax too fussy. It's indentation, line continuation marks, etc. make it feel somewhat pre-historic: the RPG of the modern age.
Still, thanks to Practical Programming, the seemingly ever growing popularity of Python and it being at the heart of Raspberry Pi, I am encouraged to look a little deeper.
