Hi,

Can you tell us when do you plan to issue a new edition of the Programming Python book?

Thanks

We're timing the new edition of Programming Python to follow shortly after the release of Python 2.0. Guido van Rossum announced at the Python Conference in November that 2.0 will be incompatible with earlier versions, so that seems like a good point to bring out a new book.

We would have done an additional update sooner, but we've been working on new Python titles. Mark Lutz just published the Python Pocket Reference, an 80-page summary of the current Python syntax. Combining the Pocket Reference with the current version of Programming Python will give you up-to-date syntax and useful tutorial and reference as well. In February or March, we'll bring out Learning Python, an introduction to the language (similar to Learning Perl). Mark co-authored that book with David Ascher.

We have a couple of other Python books under development that aren't far enough along to announce. We know that Programming Python is the linchpin of the series, however, so we'll start on that second edition as soon as Python 2.0 begins to shape up.

I do have one question as the editor of that book. Do you think that the CD containing the Python code is a necessary element? The disk provides a complete and working version of Python; however, we can't update that CD as often as Guido updates the online version of the code. Do you think readers of Programming Python require a disk, or is Python already so available that the CD is unnecessary?

Thanks for your interest,

Frank Willison

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