adding to my previosu comment... In the Python tutorial: http://python.org/doc/2.3.4/tut/node11.html
the beginning two paragraphs should be deleted. Nobody gives a shit except a few smug academicians where the author wrote it for pleasing himself. For 99% of readers, it is incomprehensible and irrelevant. the first paragraph of 9.1 "A Word About Terminology" is epitome of masturbation. The entire 9.1 is not necessary. Large part of 9.2 "Python Scopes and Name Spaces" is again masturbatory. -- Most texts in computing are written by authors to defend and showcase their existence against their peers. In a tutorial, nobody cares how the language compared to x y and z, or what technicality is it all about, or some humorous snippet of history only funny to the author himself. Particularly for texts in a tutorial context, you want to write it as simple as possible covering the most useful basic functionalities and concepts, and self-contained. Not showcasing your knowledge of history of languages or your linguistic lineage byways. For example this chapter 9 on Objects, it is not difficult to write it without making a show of lingoes. One simply write what is of Python, without thinking about relation to xyz languages or the "computer science" establishment and their ways of thinkings of namespaces and scopes and dynamic and statics and inheritances ... fucking bags of shit. Also, in the computing industry, documentations and tutorials often lacks examples. Especially important in tutorials. Be fewer in words, more in examples. (for example, unix man pages are full of arcane abstract syntax specifications and inner-working technicalities while most don't contain a single example of usage that is much needed.) also, this does not mean beginning to write for dummies as the highly successful series of "xyz for Dummies" books. These are successful because the corpus of textbook writers are all inclined and habituated to chalk up to jargons and intellectualization on the accounts of their own esteem and careers. Dummy books are moronic because they assumed the general readers are morons. PS Another illustrative case is the official Java Tutorial. Python tutorial is to the point on the whole. The Java Tutorial is completely asinine. Chalking up to rocket sciences every chance with unhelpful and misleading drivel. Xah [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://xahlee.org/PageTwo_dir/more.html -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
