Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science

Python has a number of features that make it a near-perfect choice as a first programming language. The basic structures are simple, clean, and well designed, which allows students to focus on the primary skills of algorithmic thinking and program design without getting bogged down in arcane language details. Concepts learned in Python carry over directly to subsequent study of systems languages such as C++ and Java. But Python is not a “toy language.” It is a real-world production language that is freely available for virtually every programming platform and comes standard with its own easy-to-use integrated programming environment. The best part is that Python makes learning to program fun again.