Аннотация

To quote the old Monty Python song: “Here comes another one / Here it comes again / Here comes another one / When will it ever end?” Since the previous edition, Python 3 has become much more widespread, so this edition has fully transitioned to the Py3 world. There have been other changes as well, with packages in the Python ecosystem coming and going and coding practices going in and out of fashion. Where it has been necessary or useful, the book has been rewritten, but its origins are still visible. For example, when the original Practical Python came out at the beginning of the millennium, Usenet was still in semi-widespread use, though nowadays most Internet users probably haven’t even heard of it. So when the fourth code project (Chapter 23) involves connecting to an NNTP server, this is more of a historical curiosity than skills you are likely to apply directly in a mainstream programming career. Still, I’ve kept some of these more quirky parts of the book, as they still work well as programming examples and as they are part of the history of the book.
All the people who helped previous editions see the light of day still deserve as many thanks as before.
This time around, I would in particular like to extend my thanks to Mark Powers, who has been a paragon of patience when my progress faltered. I’d also like to thank Michael Thomas, who has done a great job of checking the technical aspects of the book (… and pointing out all the Python 2–style print statements I had missed; I hope I got them all). I hope you enjoy this updated edition, even though, as Terry Jones says about the song mentioned initially, “Obviously it would be better with a full orchestra.”