Python Fundamentals LiveLessons (Video Training) [Paperback]

This is most certainly not a step by step introduction to Python programming, though technically it is a slide show about the fundamentals but only for someone who already knows a similar programming language. It is NOT for someone who has never programmed before. It is merely a lightweight summary of the content in the author's book, Core Python Programming, of which he'll refer you to more than once to learn about topics he really should be covering, despite the fact that this video slide show actually costs more than the book! No need to read any further, just get the book and skip this waste of money.

If you prefer to watch a video of mostly slides with text on a blue background while the presenter narrates (yawn), and see very little actual video of live coding being done to illustrate the lessons or provide hands on step by step Python programming insight, then this is the product for you (yawn). Many lessons don't even have any video of programming in Python at all! The most coding you'll see is the narrator going through the interactive shell in Lesson 2 rushing through a "Demo" of interactive commands. After that, videos of the author actually doing something get progressively rarer. It's baffling why the author agreed to even do a "Live"Lessons video at all, or why the publisher would release it as a "Live"Lesson along with a misleading description.

On the other hand, why pay for something when there's no shortage of free Python videos of slide presentations on the Internet that are as equally theoretical and not particularly engaging or illustrative? But, if you insist on buying a Python video tutorial, then you'd be better off looking for LinuxCBT's Python scripting video which clearly shows what a live lesson is all about though it isn't cheap.

Python is an interesting language, and deserves better treatment than an uninspiring, overpriced slide show presentation sold as a "Live" Lesson. This might actually turn new programmers away from Python. I'd advise new programmers to search MIT University's website for an entire free video course introducing beginners to programming using Python as their first language.

The LiveLessons series are a bit of a hit and miss in quality, but future authors could benefit greatly by watching how Bill Jelen (Mr. Excel) does his LiveLessons videos. If LiveLessons ever covers Erlang or Clojure, I can only hope they'll use slides to only briefly introduce the theoretical topic, then actually show how a programmer implements the topic for illustration, passing along insights only an experienced developer could as he codes multiple practical examples of the theory.

This Video is presented on a VERY abstract form! If you are new to Python then I would not use this to learn it! For example, the presenter explains "Functions" (def in Python), without a single example on kwargs or groups. It is true that he mentions these, but NOT examples. Since I am attempting to recommend video courses to those new in Python, under my supervision, I cannot recommend this video to my trainees...It would be a total waste of their time!

I couldn't agree more with Jakinder Singh's review. Only I think that 2 stars is being generous.

It's called live LESSONS, but this is not video training at all, nor is it a course.

The title 'Python Fundamentals' is also very misleading. This is definitely NOT something that is suitable for beginners.
There are a few coding examples in the beginning, but they go very fast and any explanation is non-existant.
(I couldn't even complete the helloworld.py one from lesson 1, since I have no idea how to get IDLE to open a .py file from a location on my hard disk. There are NO instructions on how to do this).

I've watched and skimmed through half of it (despite extreme confusion from the start, I have no programming experience and only a limited understanding of the Python basics and terminology) and at best this seems to be a pocket reference in slide-show format.

Don't waste your money.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 4 reviews  2.2 out of 5 stars