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A full copy of the program listing for the IRC user list is included in Appendix A, “Python
Recipes”, and on the Raspberry Pi User Guide website at
www.wiley.com/go/
raspberrypiuserguide2e
. Downloading the source code from the website will save you
some typing, but entering the code by hand is a good way of ensuring that you understand
what each section does.
Further Reading
I hope this chapter has given you a taste of what you can do with Python. It’s far from exhaus-
tive—to do the language full justice would take a considerably larger book. However, there
are plenty of resources out there for learning more about the Python language, including the
following:
❍
The official Beginner’s Guide to Python , which you can access at
http://wiki.
python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide
.
❍ A free, interactive tutorial that runs entirely in your browser is available for download
at
http://www.learnpython.org/
.
❍
Zed A. Shaw’s Learn Python The Hard Way (Shavian Publishing, 2012) offers great
insight into best-practice coding for Python, and despite the name, it’s suitable for
beginners. This book is commercially available, or you can read it for free at
http://
learnpythonthehardway.org/
.
❍ Although somewhat outdated and since replaced by Dive Into Python 3 (APRESS, 2009),
Dive Into Python by Mark Pilgrim (APRESS, 2004) does a good job of addressing the
basics of writing programs in Python. It’s available for free download at
http://www.
diveintopython.net/
or for purchase in printed format from all good booksellers.
❍
If you prefer hands-on learning with other interested individuals, a list of local Python
User Groups—sometimes called PIGgies—can be found at
http://wiki.python.
org/moin/LocalUserGroups
.
❍
For learning pygame, Al Sweigart’s book Making Games with Python & Pygame
(CreateSpace, 2012) is a great introduction with practical examples. You can purchase
the hardcopy book or downloaded it for free at
http://inventwithpython.com/
.