What's the problem with his Python book? I bought "Learn Python the right way" for a close friend as I thought it was a good one to get started - is it not?

The book has multiple chapters on printing (!?) and the style of writing is incredibly condescending. It's one of the worst Python books I've come across. A sample of his idiocy - https://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/nopython3.html.

> When you start out programming the first thing you work with is strings, and python made them far too difficult to use for even an experienced programmer like me to use. I mean, if I struggle to use Python's strings then you don't have a chance.

To get away with this kind of attitude, one needs to be much smarter than he is.

Given your ridiculous strawman of his Python 3 criticism, I won't be bothering with your review of his book.

Not sure how it's a strawman, but let's address his statement directly.

Do you agree with him that Python 3 strings are difficult for experienced programmers? Apparently they are difficult for Zed Shaw as I quoted above. And also since they're difficult for him, does that mean that beginners "don't have a chance"? Demonstrably false and arrogant claims like this one, as well as many others in his Python and C books, make him lose all credibility.

They are not difficult for Zed Shaw. You might not like his writing style, but disregarding context and interpreting statements literally that are quite obviously there for dramatic effect is in fact a strawman.

While I do find his writing entertaining, I wouldn't recommend it for beginners either. But not because he doesn't know how Python 3 strings work.

Python 3 was a disaster, and while his diatribe against it was questionable, the emotion behind it was not particularly misplaced.