Table of Contents

 

Copyright

Brief Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

About this book

About Hello! books

Chapter 1. Why Python?

Learning to program

Telling a computer what to do

Programming is made of ideas

Programming is design

What makes Python so great?

Python is easy

Python is a real language

Python has “batteries included”

Python has a large community

Setting up Python for Windows

Installing Python

Running Python programs on Windows

Running Python programs from the command line

Linux

Installing under Linux

Linux GUI

Linux command line

Macintosh

Updating the shell profile

Setting the default application

Troubleshooting

A syntax error

An incorrect file extension (Windows)

Python is installed in a different place (Linux)

Text editors and IDEs

Summary

Chapter 2. Hunt the Wumpus

What’s a program?

Writing to the screen

Remembering things with variables

Asking the player what to do

Making decisions

Loops

Functions

Your first program

The first version of Hunt the Wumpus

Debugging

Experimenting with your program

More (or fewer) caves

A nicer wumpus

More than one wumpus