A word of warning is due to whoever is considering buying this bundle. I stopped buying these once I realized that they tend to be fairly out of date. When I checked the description for the PHP...
A word of warning is due to whoever is considering buying this bundle. I stopped buying these once I realized that they tend to be fairly out of date. When I checked the description for the PHP Cookbook, I noticed that it said that it had examples updated for 5.5, which is no longer supported. Worse, PHP 7+ has major changes and has already been out for more than 3 years at this point.
These books are fine if you are just going to mess around, but I wouldn't recommend them if you are serious unless you want to learn the more timeless ones (SQL, bash, regexp, maybe even Windows PowerShell).
Honestly, there are so many free resources for learning programming that it's hard to recommend many traditionally published books anymore. Heck, many of the official programming language documentation projects are better than almost all of the "how to program" books I had growing up.
O'Reilly's "cookbooks" are usually quite useful and well-reviewed, so this is potentially a really good deal if you're interested in some of the books on offer.
O'Reilly's "cookbooks" are usually quite useful and well-reviewed, so this is potentially a really good deal if you're interested in some of the books on offer.
Are these "cookbooks" for beginners or is there some level of background knowledge needed to understand the book? Interested in purchasing the books for a friend of mine but unsure if he'd be able...
Are these "cookbooks" for beginners or is there some level of background knowledge needed to understand the book? Interested in purchasing the books for a friend of mine but unsure if he'd be able to read these.
I don't have personal experience with any of these books, so I can't say for sure (and it probably depends on the individual book), but overall they're usually more like reference books. For...
I don't have personal experience with any of these books, so I can't say for sure (and it probably depends on the individual book), but overall they're usually more like reference books. For example, if you look at the Python Cookbook, you can see the Table of Contents, and it's mostly just separated into different tasks that people might need to do, like "Searching and Replacing Text", "Finding the Largest or Smallest N Items", and so on.
Thanks. Seems like the book is a tad bit too advanced for what I'm looking for. I'm probably going to grab "Python Crash Course" for the friend of mine.
Thanks. Seems like the book is a tad bit too advanced for what I'm looking for. I'm probably going to grab "Python Crash Course" for the friend of mine.
If he's a total beginner, these books are supposed to be quite good (and are free to read online): https://inventwithpython.com/ There are a few options that are all intended for beginners but...
If he's a total beginner, these books are supposed to be quite good (and are free to read online): https://inventwithpython.com/
There are a few options that are all intended for beginners but just use different approaches/topics to teach. "Invent Your Own Computer Games" uses games, "Automate the Boring Stuff" focuses on real-world tasks that someone might want to automate in their job, etc.
They do start with the basics, but I probably wouldn't recommend a cookbook for a complete beginner. The intent is more that they contain "recipes" to solve specific problems and piece together...
They do start with the basics, but I probably wouldn't recommend a cookbook for a complete beginner. The intent is more that they contain "recipes" to solve specific problems and piece together into larger programs - underlying concepts and explanation tend to a back seat in this style of book.
Also if you hand a beginner a book about Perl or Regex, they may well end up running into the hills and swearing off technology for life.
Python's always a good starter language, and I've had good feedback from other beginners starting with this: https://python.swaroopch.com (which also has the advantage of being free)
I can't comment on Perl, but regexp is one of those things that everyone should learn. Even if they don't learn cryptic Perl-style regexes, they should at least learn the essential concepts like...
Also if you hand a beginner a book about Perl or Regex, they may well end up running into the hills and swearing off technology for life.
I can't comment on Perl, but regexp is one of those things that everyone should learn. Even if they don't learn cryptic Perl-style regexes, they should at least learn the essential concepts like grouping, wildcards, and Boolean logic. That gives you a huge heads up for any kind of search operation - even if it's just Google.
I have the Python Cookbook. By definition, Cookbooks are not meant for beginners. They contain a collection of brief solutions for common tasks, and don't teach the fundamentals. But the code does...
I have the Python Cookbook. By definition, Cookbooks are not meant for beginners. They contain a collection of brief solutions for common tasks, and don't teach the fundamentals. But the code does have brief explanations that are quite readable, so, if you need something from it, a bit of legwork might be enough.
A word of warning is due to whoever is considering buying this bundle. I stopped buying these once I realized that they tend to be fairly out of date. When I checked the description for the PHP Cookbook, I noticed that it said that it had examples updated for 5.5, which is no longer supported. Worse, PHP 7+ has major changes and has already been out for more than 3 years at this point.
These books are fine if you are just going to mess around, but I wouldn't recommend them if you are serious unless you want to learn the more timeless ones (SQL, bash, regexp, maybe even Windows PowerShell).
Honestly, there are so many free resources for learning programming that it's hard to recommend many traditionally published books anymore. Heck, many of the official programming language documentation projects are better than almost all of the "how to program" books I had growing up.
O'Reilly's "cookbooks" are usually quite useful and well-reviewed, so this is potentially a really good deal if you're interested in some of the books on offer.
Are these "cookbooks" for beginners or is there some level of background knowledge needed to understand the book? Interested in purchasing the books for a friend of mine but unsure if he'd be able to read these.
I don't have personal experience with any of these books, so I can't say for sure (and it probably depends on the individual book), but overall they're usually more like reference books. For example, if you look at the Python Cookbook, you can see the Table of Contents, and it's mostly just separated into different tasks that people might need to do, like "Searching and Replacing Text", "Finding the Largest or Smallest N Items", and so on.
Thanks. Seems like the book is a tad bit too advanced for what I'm looking for. I'm probably going to grab "Python Crash Course" for the friend of mine.
If he's a total beginner, these books are supposed to be quite good (and are free to read online): https://inventwithpython.com/
There are a few options that are all intended for beginners but just use different approaches/topics to teach. "Invent Your Own Computer Games" uses games, "Automate the Boring Stuff" focuses on real-world tasks that someone might want to automate in their job, etc.
They do start with the basics, but I probably wouldn't recommend a cookbook for a complete beginner. The intent is more that they contain "recipes" to solve specific problems and piece together into larger programs - underlying concepts and explanation tend to a back seat in this style of book.
Also if you hand a beginner a book about Perl or Regex, they may well end up running into the hills and swearing off technology for life.
Python's always a good starter language, and I've had good feedback from other beginners starting with this: https://python.swaroopch.com (which also has the advantage of being free)
I can't comment on Perl, but regexp is one of those things that everyone should learn. Even if they don't learn cryptic Perl-style regexes, they should at least learn the essential concepts like grouping, wildcards, and Boolean logic. That gives you a huge heads up for any kind of search operation - even if it's just Google.
Totally with you there - definitely good to know, just a rather intimidating way to get started off, I think!
I have the Python Cookbook. By definition, Cookbooks are not meant for beginners. They contain a collection of brief solutions for common tasks, and don't teach the fundamentals. But the code does have brief explanations that are quite readable, so, if you need something from it, a bit of legwork might be enough.