[ILUG] introduction to programming

[Bryan O'Donoghue]

John Moylan wrote:

> Personally, I have found learning python improved my other language
> coding skills, especially my OO Java stuff. Python is also an excellent
> language for writing large systems, it is clear and also very powerful.
> I know for example that Google, Redhat, Real, RTE ;) code allot of their
>  systems management software in Python because of it's flexibility and
> because it is easy to write good, clean, maintainable code.


I thought it would be fun... to rain down castigation on Python from on
high....

But, I have seriously been thinking about learning another language
beginning with p !

PHP, is really fun and... helps me get dates ... but,  I had thought
that it would be a good idea (tm) to learn perl, if only because, nobody
can understand perl... and most people actively fear it.

One thing that put me off python, when I had a 5 second cursory make or
break look at the language was that it didn't really seem to encourage
scoping and indentation..

http://docs.python.org/tut/node6.html

Could someone... clarify, what is considered good scoping and
indentation practice in python and if the conventions lend themselves to
avoiding ... something awful... say like the following

case 1
if(branch) statement;
statement;	/* oops */

case 2
if(branch){statement;
	statement;
}

case 3
if(branch){
	statement;
	statement;
	statement;
	statement;
}

For all the talk of how brilliant Python is.... from a "I haven't looked
at this language for longer then 20 seconds" perspective... I'd be
interested in hearing from the converted, in how, python encourages you
to avoid mistakes like case 1?