The problem with being biologists is that when we beginners start using a programming language we often learn it the wrong way. I started scripting a few months ago and I realise that the only reason things work is because I take a sledgehammer approach - trial and error 20 times until somehow the logic of some bit of example code finally gets through!
Any pro's have some advice on teaching us how to learn on our own? The python documentation is obviously fantastic, but its so full of jargon! some of it is general computer jargon and other bits are pythonic.
Either way I spend most of my time figuring out what the help file for a function even means, let alone understanding how to use it!
Example? here's a chunk from the help(sys.stdin).
How do I even begin to google any of what that means? whats with all the underscores?
Any good jargon buster sites? Or a tutorial just for the documentation?
__init__(...)
| x.__init__(...) initializes x; see help(type(x)) for signature
| | __iter__(...)
| x.__iter__() <==> iter(x)
|
| __repr__(...)
| x.__repr__() <==> repr(x)
|
| __setattr__(...)
| x.__setattr__('name', value) <==> x.name = value
|
| close(...)
| close() -> None or (perhaps) an integer. Close the file.
|