Java Resources
If you'd like to learn Python, you might want to use the Python for Beginners.
Although I planned on posting some of my Python materials on this site but I've not been able to do that due to
lack of time. Most times, am on the Python Tutor list answering questions and helping other users. So if you want to join and start asking questions to help you learn Python, you are more than welcome :) When a lonely man with a moustache asked Darwin to ride with him on his boat named after
a dog, Darwin agreed and set off around the world fiddling with wildlife.
To the left hand column, I have listed some of the modules and packages that I use daily on my Python development. To learn more about them, click on each to go the website with information on how to download and start developing with them. If you are a Java developer and an Eclipse fan, you might find the PyDev handy as it is a plugin for Eclipse. This allows you to develop all your Python and Jython code on the Eclipse platform complete with syntax highlighting, refactor, syntax analysis and debugging.
Which Python Book To Buy?
Almost every other day on the tutor mailing list, you see people asking about books to buy to help them learn to program in Python. But the response is always the same: we do not have the magic book that will help you learn. Some of us use the documentations on the Python main website, while others have access to O'Reilly's Safari service through their work or educational institution.
Don't get me wrong, there are times when I can positively recommend a book or resource based on the area or domain that you are interested in. For example, I'm currently reading the Definitive Guide to SQLite, to write my first database app, you might want to pick up wxPython in Action if you're going to start writing wxPython GUIs; or Python & XML if you're doing XML work; etc. The reason for this exception is to help you to narrow you search and effort to a domain-specific area. Apart from that, I will not recommend any book as we all learn differently.
IDE
Another question that we come across often is which IDE is the best to use. Again, there are no right answers here. If you are on windows and you downloaded your Python installation from Python.org, then you do not need any other IDE as it installs IDLE by default. This is the official IDE that most guys on the mailing list probably use on their Windows environment. Having said that, other 3rd-parties also produce their own IDEs. A typical example is Pythonwin from ActiveStates' ActivePython distribution (which is not open source).
The list of all available IDEs can be found here is you are more interested on learning about the IDEs than the language. Finally, I have decided to list the books here to help you with your quest for that killer Python book :-) One of those excellent online books is this, it contains all the information that a new Python programmer will find very useful. But if you have a few quid and you want something you could have on your bookshelf, here are my recommendations:Core Python Programming (2006, 2 copies)
Game Programming with Python (2004)
Programming Python (2006, 2 copies)
Python Cookbook (2005, 2 copies)
Python Essential reference (2006, 2 copies)
Python in a Nutshell (2006, 2 copies)
Python Phrasebook (2006, 2 copies)
Python programming for the absolute beginner (2003)
Python programming on Win32 (2000)
Rapid web appplications with TurboGears (2006, 2 copies)
Sams teach yourself Python in 24 hours (2000)
Twisted network programming essentials (2005)
Twisted network programming essentials (2006, 2 copies)