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From: Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu>
Subject: Re: How to begin
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2014 03:55:22 -0500
References: <8a78be96-7d26-47ff-9627-246d85410cd2@googlegroups.com> <52FD4C40.9050001@gmail.com> <85zjlu7bou.fsf@benfinney.id.au>
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On 2/13/2014 7:57 PM, Ben Finney wrote:
> Ryan Gonzalez <rymg19@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> Read the Python reference. I know it's long, but it saves you trouble
>> of accidentally reinventing the wheel.
>
> Hmm, the language reference is targeted at people *implementing* Python,

This is the first time I have read that. It is definitely aimed at users 
who have already ready the tutorial and need the information that is not 
in the tutorial.

> not people who are learning to use it (though it is valuable for them
> also). It would be rather overwhelming for a beginner, IMO.
>
> You should instead be directing newcomers to beginner documentation,
> such as <URL:https://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide> and especially
> the Python tutorial <URL:http://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/>.
>


-- 
Terry Jan Reedy