Any good resources for an experienced Java developer new to Python?
As a Java programmer learning Python, what should I look out for? - Stack Overflow
Best way to learn Java (no videos or tutorials) for a python mid-level programmer?
How does an experienced Java developer pick up Python?
learning new paradigms and writing idiomatically in another language will make you a better developer overall. you should look forward to this opportunity rather than fretting it
sloppy coding is what leads to errors, not the language. just relax, be pragmatic, and you'll be fine. millions of people use python without issue. there's nothing to worry about
as far as IDE support goes, pick up pycharm (or if you already use intellij, install the python plugin) or visual studio. use type hints, and though not as solid as for a typed language, it takes you pretty far
this is a bit old, but it's a good starter: https://dirtsimple.org/2004/12/python-is-not-java.html
dont skip this: http://docs.python-guide.org/en/latest/writing/gotchas/
More on reddit.comIs this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?
How much math do I need to know to take this Specialization?
Can I take the course for free?
Videos
Does anyone have any recommendations for material pitched a experienced developers wanting to get up-to-speed with Python quickly. Assume I can already read and write complex code in another language but have never used Python before.
- Don't put everything into classes. Python's built-in list and dictionaries will take you far.
- Don't worry about keeping one class per module. Divide modules by purpose, not by class.
- Use inheritance for behavior, not interfaces. Don't create an "Animal" class for "Dog" and "Cat" to inherit from, just so you can have a generic "make_sound" method.
Just do this:
class Dog(object):
def make_sound(self):
return "woof!"
class Cat(object):
def make_sound(self):
return "meow!"
class LolCat(object):
def make_sound(self):
return "i can has cheezburger?"
The referenced article has some good advice that can easily be misquoted and misunderstood. And some bad advice.
Leave Java behind. Start fresh. "do not trust your [Java-based] instincts". Saying things are "counter-intuitive" is a bad habit in any programming discipline. When learning a new language, start fresh, and drop your habits. Your intuition must be wrong.
Languages are different. Otherwise, they'd be the same language with different syntax, and there'd be simple translators. Because there are not simple translators, there's no simple mapping. That means that intuition is unhelpful and dangerous.
"A static method in Java does not translate to a Python classmethod." This kind of thing is really limited and unhelpful. Python has a staticmethod decorator. It also has a classmethod decorator, for which Java has no equivalent.
This point, BTW, also included the much more helpful advice on not needlessly wrapping everything in a class. "The idiomatic translation of a Java static method is usually a module-level function".
The Java
switchstatement in Java can be implemented several ways. First, and foremost, it's usually anif elif elif elifconstruct. The article is unhelpful in this respect. If you're absolutely sure this is too slow (and can prove it) you can use a Python dictionary as a slightly faster mapping from value to block of code. Blindly translating switch to dictionary (without thinking) is really bad advice.Don't use XML. Doesn't make sense when taken out of context. In context it means don't rely on XML to add flexibility. Java relies on describing stuff in XML; WSDL files, for example, repeat information that's obvious from inspecting the code. Python relies on introspection instead of restating everything in XML.
But Python has excellent XML processing libraries. Several.
Getters and setters are not required in Python they way they're required in Java. First, you have better introspection in Python, so you don't need getters and setters to help make dynamic bean objects. (For that, you use collections.namedtuple).
However, you have the property decorator which will bundle getters (and setters) into an attribute-like construct. The point is that Python prefers naked attributes; when necessary, we can bundle getters and setters to appear as if there's a simple attribute.
Also, Python has descriptor classes if properties aren't sophisticated enough.
Code duplication is often a necessary evil in Java (e.g. method overloading), but not in Python. Correct. Python uses optional arguments instead of method overloading.
The bullet point went on to talk about closure; that isn't as helpful as the simple advice to use default argument values wisely.
Hi! I’ve been trying w3schools and Codeacademy but when I try to program it I get so many errors. How could I improve my learning?