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psss...I want to move from Perl to Python

Nathan Hilterbrand nhilterbrand at gmail.com
Thu Jan 28 19:21:40 EST 2016 
On 01/28/2016 07:01 PM, Fillmore wrote:
>
> I learned myself Perl as a scripting language over two decades ago. 
> All through this time, I would revert to it from time to time whenever 
> I needed some text manipulation and data analysis script.
>
> My problem? maybe I am stupid, but each time I have to go back and 
> re-learn the syntax, the gotchas, the references and the derefercing, 
> the different syntax between Perl 4 and Perl 5, that messy CPAN in 
> which every author seems to have a different ideas of how things 
> should be done....
>
> I get this feeling I am wasting a lot of time restudying the wheel 
> each tim...
>
> I look and Python and it looks so much more clean....
>
> add to that that it is the language of choice of data miners...
>
> add to that that iNotebook looks powerful....
>
> Does Python have Regexps?
>
> How was the Python 2.7 vs Python 3.X solved? which version should I go 
> for?
>
> Do you think that switching to Python from Perl is a good idea at 45?
>
> Where do I get started moving from Perl to Python?
>
> which gotchas need I be aware of?
>
> Thank you
Python does "have" regex..  it is not part of the language, but is in a 
separate module.  If you are used to the way that regex feels "natural" 
in perl, you will have some "adjusting" to do.

Python 2 vs python 3 is anything but "solved".  You will hear arguments 
in favor of both.  I will not make a suggestion, because I do not have 
on my flame-resistant clothing

I am adding Python 3 to my "bag of tricks" after many, many years of 
perl programming, and I am significantly older than you.  I suggest that 
you just plunge in, and see what you think.  It just is NOT that difficult.

There are lots of tutorials and books..  some good, some less so. The 
tutorials on python.org are (IMHO) a very good place to start, though.

Gotchas?  If you are learning Python after years of perl use, the 
"gotchas" would be another book just by themselves.  Be prepared to do a 
LOT more typing.

Long and short of it...  just dig in.  I would offer one piece of 
advice, though...  you will probably be better off if you simply view 
Python totally separately from perl..  sort of like learning a new 
spoken/written language.  Don't try to view concepts as a translation 
from perl to Python , but rather just view Python as if you were 
learning to program from scratch.  Comparisons will make it much more 
difficult, in several ways.

Best of luck to you, and I hope that you find Python to be too your liking.

Nathan
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