110 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
110 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
# Welcome!
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When I first learned Python nearly 25 years ago, I was immediately
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struck by how I could productively apply it to all sorts of messy work
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projects. Fast-forward a decade and I found myself teaching others the
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same fun. The result of that teaching is this course--A no-nonsense
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treatment of Python that has been actively taught to more than 400
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in-person groups since 2007. Traders, systems admins, astronomers,
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tinkerers, and even a few rocket scientists who used Python to help
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land a rover on Mars--they've all taken this course. Now, I'm pleased
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to make it freely available under a Creative Commons license. Enjoy!
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--David Beazley ([https://dabeaz.com](https://dabeaz.com)), [@dabeaz](https://twitter.com/dabeaz)
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## What is This?
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The material you see here is the heart of an instructor-led Python
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training course used for corporate training and professional
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development. It is usually taught in-person over the span of three or
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four days--requiring approximately 25-35 hours of work. This includes
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the completion of approximately 130 hands-on coding exercises.
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## Target Audience
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The target audience is scientists, engineers, and programmers who
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already have experience in at least one other programming language. No
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prior knowledge of Python is required, but knowledge of common
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programming topics is assumed. Most participants find the course
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challenging--even if they've already been doing a bit of Python
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programming.
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## Course Objectives
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The goal of this course is to cover foundational aspects of Python
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programming with an emphasis on script writing, data manipulation, and
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program organization.
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## Requirements
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To complete this course, you need nothing more than a basic
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installation of Python 3.6 or newer and time to work on it--especially
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the latter.
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## What This Course is Not
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This is not a course for absolute beginners on how to program a
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computer. It is assumed that you already have programming experience
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in some other programming language or Python itself.
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This is not a course for software engineers on how to write or
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maintain a one-million line Python program. I don't write programs
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like that, nor do most companies who use Python, and neither should
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you. Delete something already! Python is a great language for
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personal productivity, prototyping ideas, and getting work done. The
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course is about doing THAT in a way that's practical, accessible, and
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not so "hacky" that your co-workers give you stink-eye when they look
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at your code.
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## Take me to the Course Already!
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Ok, ok. Point your browser [HERE](Notes/Contents)!
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## Community Discussion
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Want to discuss the course? You can join the conversation on
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[Gitter](https://gitter.im/dabeaz-course/practical-python). I can't
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promise an individual response, but perhaps others can jump in to help.
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## Acknowledgements
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Llorenç Muntaner was instrumental in converting the course content from
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Apple Keynote to the online structure that you see here.
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Various instructors have presented this course at one time or another
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over the last 12 years. This includes (in alphabetical order): Ned
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Batchelder, Juan Pablo Claude, Mark Fenner, Michael Foord, Matt
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Harrison, Raymond Hettinger, Daniel Klein, Travis Oliphant, James
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Powell, Michael Selik, Hugo Shi, Ian Stokes-Rees, Yarko Tymciurak,
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Bryan Van de ven, Peter Wang, and Mark Wiebe.
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I'd also like to thank the thousands of students who have taken this
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course and contributed to its success with their feedback and
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discussion.
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## Questions and Answers
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### Q: Are there course videos I can watch?
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No. This course is about you writing Python code, not watching someone else.
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### Q: How is this course licensed?
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Practical Python Programming is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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### Q: May I use this material to teach my own Python course?
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Yes, as long as appropriate attribution is given.
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### Q: May I make derivative works?
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Yes, as long as such works carry the same license terms and provide attribution.
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### Q: Do you accept pull requests?
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Bug reports are appreciated and may be filed through the [issue
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tracker](https://github.com/dabeaz-course/practical-python/issues).
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Pull requests are not accepted except by invitation. Please file an
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issue first.
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