Python Essential Reference, Second Edition, is the definitive guide to the Python programming language. Designed for programmers, it covers the core language, more than 100 modules in the standard library, and the techniques used to extend Python with compiled procedures in C or C++. Coverage expands upon and clarifies existing Python documentation - especially for advanced topics, including operating system interfaces, threads, network programming, and Unicode.
Concise, to the point, and extensively indexed, readers will find this volume packed with information not previously available in any other single reference source. Updated for Python 2.1, it is a must-have for any serious programmer wanting to develop advanced Python applications.
As a comprehensive reference to the Python programming language, this book will help you:
* Learn about the features in Python 2.0 and 2.1
* Master the details of Python types, operators, and the execution model
* Discover the details of Unicode and internationalization support
* Learn the details of operating system interfaces, threads, and network-programming modules
* Build C/C++ extensions to Python
* Make effective use of the Python library
* Find the information you need to start developing advanced Python applications
About the Author
David Beazley is a developer of several software development tools including SWIG (a popular tool for integrating C/C++ programs with other programming languages including Python, Perl, Tcl, Ruby, PHP, Java) and PLY) a Python version of the lex/yacc parsing tools). Beazley has been programming Python since 1996 and helped pioneer the use of Python with scientific computing software while working at Los Alamos National Laboratory. From 1998-2005 he was assistant professor in the Department of computer Science at the University of Chicago where he enjoyed tormenting students with insane projects in operating systems, networks, and compilers. Currently he is a freelance software developer.
