Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!goblin3!goblin2!goblin.stu.neva.ru!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed4.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.001 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 1.00; '*S*': 0.00; 'programmer': 0.03; 'from:addr:yahoo.co.uk': 0.04; 'languages.': 0.04; 'that?': 0.05; 'subject:Python': 0.06; 'tool,': 0.07; 'string': 0.09; 'lawrence': 0.09; 'received:80.91': 0.09; 'received:80.91.229': 0.09; 'received:gmane.org': 0.09; 'received:list': 0.09; 'subject:language': 0.09; 'python': 0.11; 'language.': 0.14; 'pythonistas': 0.16; 'received:80.91.229.3': 0.16; 'received:plane.gmane.org': 0.16; 'roy': 0.16; 'subject: \n ': 0.16; 'subject:programming': 0.16; 'language': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.18; 'do.': 0.18; 'written': 0.21; 'saying': 0.22; 'header:User- Agent:1': 0.23; '"you': 0.24; 'certainly': 0.24; 'fairly': 0.24; "i've": 0.25; 'subject:/': 0.26; 'header:X-Complaints-To:1': 0.27; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.27; 'along': 0.30; "i'm": 0.30; 'comments': 0.31; 'lines': 0.31; 'that.': 0.31; 'regular': 0.32; 'alone': 0.33; 'programmers': 0.33; "can't": 0.35; 'no,': 0.35; 'operations': 0.35; 'but': 0.35; 'done': 0.36; 'rich': 0.38; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.38; 'that,': 0.38; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'received:org': 0.40; 'how': 0.40; 'easy': 0.60; 'simple': 0.61; "you've": 0.63; 'our': 0.64; 'provide': 0.64; 'more': 0.64; 'past,': 0.68; 'skill': 0.68; 'smith': 0.68; 'article': 0.77; 'yourself': 0.78; 'contemplated': 0.84; 'frustrating': 0.84; 'hit.': 0.84; 'idiots': 0.84; 'received:2': 0.84; 'dozen': 0.91 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: python-list@python.org From: Mark Lawrence Subject: Re: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2013 02:05:55 +0000 References: <20131212213602.806ef8fd2626ca6f34bc83d6@gmx.net> <20131216213225.2006b30246e3a08ee241a191@gmx.net> <20131217165144.39bf9ba1cd4e4f27a96893ca@gmx.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: host-2-98-207-235.as13285.net User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; rv:24.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/24.2.0 In-Reply-To: X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 32 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1387418777 news.xs4all.nl 2833 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:38187 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:62358 On 19/12/2013 01:49, Roy Smith wrote: > In article , > Mark Lawrence wrote: > >> I've never contemplated writing a compiler, let alone actually written >> one. It's like the comments along the lines of "you can't call yourself >> a programmer until you've mastered regular expressions". > > Who makes comments like that? As far as I can tell, I'm the resident > regexphile on this newsgroup, and I certainly don't say that. > > I find it frustrating that Pythonistas shy away from regex as much as > they do. Yes, Python strings have a rich set of built-in operations > which provide easy ways to do a lot of things traditionally done with > regexes in other languages. > > Regex is a powerful tool, and programmers will improve their skill set > by knowing how to use them. But that's not the same as saying you can't > be a programmer if you don't know regex. > Idiots make comments like that, I've seen them in the past, and no, I can't remember where :) As for me I'm not a regexphobe, more a stringmethodphile. But I'm not going to use a dozen string methods when one fairly simple regex will do the same job in one hit. -- My fellow Pythonistas, ask not what our language can do for you, ask what you can do for our language. Mark Lawrence