Thinking in Python by Bruce Eckel

(thinkinginpython.com)

48 points | by pjacotg 7 hours ago

5 comments

  • ra 41 minutes ago
    I originally learned Java in 2000 from Bruce Eckel's "Thinking in Java"
    • jkaplowitz 27 minutes ago
      Me too, one year before you. A classic.
  • roelschroeven 2 hours ago
    "The book targets Python 3.15 and later"

    That's a bit weird, Python 3.15 isn't even fully released yet.

    • rented_mule 1 hour ago
      You're right that Python 3.15 is not fully released yet, but it's in prerelease which is defined as:

      """ After the first beta, no new features can go in, but feature fixes (including significant changes to new features), bug fixes, and security fixes are accepted for the upcoming feature release. """

      So it's a fairly well known target. Bruce Eckel published the first edition of this book a quarter of a century ago - he has a pretty good handle on the progression of Python.

      Definitions and status for all releases is at https://devguide.python.org/versions/

  • a2ff6eeb0 1 hour ago
    Since this is autogenerated, is it possible that it's going to be auto updated as new versions of python come out? That'd be pretty cool. It'd be interesting to see this kind of thing unfold itself into a book.

    When I feed it into an LLM, do you think it's going to improve the output of the code, or will it need additional prompting?

  • Ozzie-D 11 minutes ago
    The "Thinking in" series shaped how an entire generation learned to program. What made those books work wasn't the language coverage, it was that Eckel focused on mental models rather than syntax reference. You came away understanding how to think about the language, not just how to write it. Curious whether that approach translates well to Python, which arguably has a less opinionated object model than Java did.
  • enygmata 3 hours ago
    Where can I get a physical copy of this?