50 Steps to Mastering Basic Python Programming

Book excerpt: Programming is fast becoming a basic literacy. Software is pervasive in society and therefore it is needed in virtually every occupation. But for some people, programming feels very unnatural; that's where this book comes in! This book is written in a step-by-step, tutorial style that makes programming available to pretty much anyone who cares to take the time to learn. It's the result of my years of experience and research into teaching introductory programming.You can start using this book right away, without buying anything else and without having to install anything on your computer! Within a few days, you will understand the basics of how computer programs work. The "50 steps" method used here gives you a step-by-step incremental approach that makes the journey much easier.Also included is access to video instructions and a discount code for the use of software to speed your learning. Instructions for how to access this are at the end of the book.I've used Python in this book because (1) the syntax of the language is considered easier to learn than languages such as C++ or Java, and (2) Python is becoming very popular, even for "non computer science" folks. Note that I really like languages like C, C++, Java and PHP, and write in these languages myself quite often; however, for a basic introduction to programming, Python is the way to go! This book uses Python 3 syntax, as that is the latest version as of this writing.This book also gets right to the point when discussing new concepts. Many programming books are, in my opinion, too explanation-heavy. Just like when you learn a foreign language, the best way to learn to program is to dive right in. So, the book is designed to get you programming right away with step-by-step examples.Video tutorials, solutions to the problems, and discounts on learning software are available; how to access these is discussed at the end of the book. These items are specifically designed to work with this book and to help you learn the material as quickly and thoroughly as possible.With that being said, this is not a book for experienced programmers. The focus is on introductory concepts using Python as the target language. If you are an experienced programmer, you will find this book tedious.For those of you who are novices at programming, this is the book for you! When you're finished with this book, the world of programming will be opened up for you; from here, you can go in any direction you wish.