if you're standing in bookstore looking for the short story on this booktry thispython is powerful multiparadigm computer programming languageoptimized for programmer productivitycode readabilityand software quality this book provides comprehensive and in-depth introduction to the python language itself its goal is to help you master python fundamentals before moving on to apply them in your work like all its prior editionsthis book is designed to serve as singleall-inclusive learning resource for all python newcomerswhether they will be using python xpython xor both this edition has been brought up to date with python releases and and has been expanded substantially to reflect current practice in the python world this preface describes this book' goalsscopeand structure in more detail it' optional readingbut is designed to provide some orientation before you get started with the book at large this book' "ecosystempython is popular open source programming language used for both standalone programs and scripting applications in wide variety of domains it is freeportablepowerfuland is both relatively easy and remarkably fun to use programmers from every corner of the software industry have found python' focus on developer productivity and software quality to be strategic advantage in projects both large and small whether you are new to programming or are professional developerthis book is designed to bring you up to speed on the python language in ways that more limited approaches cannot after reading this bookyou should know enough about python to apply it in whatever application domains you choose to explore by designthis book is tutorial that emphasizes the core python language itselfrather than specific applications of it as suchthis book is intended to serve as the first in two-volume setxxxiii