Bill Lubanovic

Bill Lubanovic has developed software with Unix since 1977, GUIs since 1981, databases since 1990, and the Web since 1993. In 1982, at a startup named Intran, he developed MetaForm, one of the first commercial GUIs (before the Mac or Windows), on one of the first graphic workstations. In the early 1990s, while at Northwest Airlines, he wrote a graphic yield management system that generated millions of dollars in revenue; established a presence for the company on the Internet; and wrote its first Internet marketing test. Later, he cofounded an ISP (Tela) in 1994, and a web development company (Mad Scheme) in 1999. Recently, he developed core services and distributed systems with a remote team for a Manhattan startup. Currently, he’s integrating OpenStack services for a supercomputer company. Bill enjoys life in Minnesota with his wonderful wife Mary, children Tom and Karin, and cats Inga, Chester, and Lucy.

This book will introduce you to the Python programming language. It’s aimed at beginning programmers, but even if you’ve written programs before and just want to add Python to your list of languages, Introducing Python will get you started. It’s an unhurried introduction, taking small steps from the basics to more involved and varied topics. I mix cookbook and tutorial styles to explain new terms and ideas, but not too many at once. Real Python code is included early and often. Even though this is an introduction, I include some topics that might seem advanced, such as NoSQL databases and message-passing libraries. I chose these because they can solve some problems better than standard solutions. You’ll download and install external Python packages, which is good to know when the “batteries included” with Python don’t fit your application. And it’s fun to try something new. I also include some examples of what not to do, especially if you’ve programmed in other languages and try to adapt those styles to Python. And I won’t pretend that Python is perfect; I’ll show you what to avoid.