Dead Simple Python: Idiomatic Python for the Impatient Programmer

by Jason C. McDonald

The complete core language for existing programmers.Dead Simple Python is a thorough introduction to every feature of the Python language for programmers who are impatient to write production code. Instead of revisiting elementary computer science topics, you’ll dive deep into idiomatic Python patterns so you can write professional Python programs in no time. After speeding through Python’s basic syntax and setting up a complete programming environment, you’ll learn to work with Python’s dynamic data typing, its support for both functional and object-oriented programming techniques, special features like generator expressions, and advanced topics like concurrency. You’ll also learn how to package, distribute, debug, and test your Python project. Master how Python's dynamic typing work for you to produce cleaner, more adaptive code.Harness advanced iteration techniques to structure and process your data.Design classes and functions that work without unwanted surprises or arbitrary constraints.Use multiple inheritance and introspection to write classes that work intuitively.Improve your code's responsiveness and performance with asynchrony, concurrency, and parallelism.Structure your Python project for production-grade testing and distribution The most pedantically pythonic primer ever printed, Dead Simple Python will take you from working with the absolute basics to coding applications worthy of publication.

Genres: Programming, Computer Science, Technology, Reference, Coding, Nonfiction

705 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 22, 2022

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

No protagonist, no antagonist, barely any plot, author didn’t even try with this one

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick N' Easy

This book offers a fresh and fun approach to learning the popular programming language. The author presents a clear, concise and idiomatic style of writing which helps the reader understand Python's fundamental concepts in a quick and effective manner.

The book is well-suited for those who want to see results fast and don't mind taking a quick and simple approach to learning.

The author provides ample examples throughout the book that are easy to follow and understand, allowing the reader to write their own scripts with ease.
However, while the book's approach is straightforward, it may not be as comprehensive or in-depth as other Python resources.

In conclusion, this book was a great starting point for those who want to learn Python quickly, but it's also worth exploring other resources to deepen one's understanding of the language.

Overall, the book is a solid choice for anyone looking to get up to speed with Python.

3.8/5

[Gustav Cappaert · Rating 5 out of 5]

McDonald's book fills a really important niche. I'm a beginner programmer and started out learning some C, R, and Javascript. I eventually found Python and loved it. As I've gone along, I've picked up some of the built in tools that make Python so coder-friendly: list/dict comprehensions, enumeration, purpose-built collections like namedtuple, orderedDict and so on. All of that has come piecemeal, either by reading tutorials or other people's code.

This book beautifully explains just about everything that makes Python unique. It's perfect for the reader who can already write code in Python or any other language but wants to step up their game. It's a great reference, but well-writen enough that it's a delight to read through entire chapters.

The final chapters contain the best explanations I have read on asynchrony and parallelism.

I only wish that there was already another book by the same author that took the same approach to the popular packages in the Python ecosystem for data analysis and AI (numpy, pandas, scikit-learn, nltk, etc), GUIs (tkinter, PyQT), and maybe embedded python versions (micropython, circuitpython). That's a pretty big ask, though.

[Lime Street Labrador · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coming from Java and used to proper formal textbooks, the author's chatty writing style (full of cheap jokes) and stupid examples annoyed me very much. Most of the times, I had to find better explanations online as his descriptions and examples are so poor.

[Samuel Taggart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good. Very detailed deep dive of Python. Just the right amount of detail for someone who is developer in another language to pick up what they need to know.

[Hiep Pham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Python from bottom up with practical practice!

[Vỹ Hồng · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good reference book on Python features. The book is quite comprehensive, and the explanations are clear.