So far, we have covered the core of the Python language. With this
knowledge, you should be able to read almost all Python code, with
few language-related surprises. However, as anyone
who's ever worked with existing programs knows,
understanding the syntax of a language doesn't
guarantee a clear and easy understanding of a program, even if it is
well-written. Indeed, knowing which tools are being used—be
they simple functions, coherent packages, or even complex
frameworks—is the important step between a theoretical
understanding of a language and a practical, effective mastery of a
system.
How can you make this transition? No amount of reading woodworking
magazines will turn a novice into a master woodworker. For that to
happen, you have to have talent, of course, but you also have to
spend years examining furniture, taking furniture apart, building new
pieces, and learning from your mistakes and others'
successes. The same is true in programming. The role of textbooks is
to give a bird's eye view of the kinds of problems
and appropriate solutions, to show some of the basic tricks of the
trade, and to motivate the frustrated beginner by showing some of the
nicer pieces of work others have built. Part VIII presents a
different view of the Python landscape in each chapter and gives
plentiful pointers to other sources of information.
