BuildingSkillsinPythonRelease2.6.5StevenF.LottApril20,2010CONTENTSIFrontMatter31Preface51.1WhyReadThisBook?.......................................51.2Audience...............................................61.3OrganizationofThisBook.....................................71.4Limitations..............................................81.5ProgrammingStyle.........................................91.6ConventionsUsedinThisBook..................................91.7Acknowledgements..........................................10IILanguageBasics112BackgroundandHistory152.1History................................................152.2FeaturesofPython.........................................152.3Comparisons.............................................162.4SomeJargon.............................................193PythonInstallation213.1WindowsInstallation........................................213.2MacintoshInstallation........................................243.3GNU/LinuxandUNIXOverview.................................253.4“BuildfromScratch”Installation.................................284GettingStarted314.1Command-LineInteraction.....................................314.2TheIDLEDevelopmentEnvironment...............................344.3ScriptMode.............................................364.4GettingHelp.............................................404.5SyntaxFormalities..........................................414.6Exercises...............................................424.7OtherTools..............................................444.8StyleNotes:WiseChoiceofFileNames..............................455SimpleNumericExpressionsandOutput475.1SeeingOutputwiththeprint()Function(orprintStatement)................475.2NumericTypesandOperators...................................505.3NumericConversion(or“Factory”)Functions..........................53i5.4Built-InMathFunctions......................................545.5ExpressionExercises.........................................565.6ExpressionStyl...
