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Tutorials include some code which is intended to be exemplary and simple enough for a new programmer to make sense of, so I wouldn't discount it as a part of re

Tutorials include some code which is intended to be exemplary and simple enough for a new programmer to make sense of, so I wouldn't discount it as a part of reading code. Practical code does not always have those properties, although you'd certainly be missing a lot if you only read code from tutorials. I completely agree with the claim "There is no substitute for doing", and I might even say that code you read without running and tweaking it doesn't count.

cess11 2y ago
Trying to learn to become a developer from tutorials is like trying to become a carpenter by reading instruction manuals for saws, nail guns, &c. To learn how to implement computer programs, read books about it.
- penteract 2y ago
  We might have different ideas about what constitutes a tutorial. Online tutorials vary massively in quality, but something like the official Python tutorial https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/ https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/ is a fine resource. I would even say that the categories are not mutually exclusive - I would call "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs" both a book and a tutorial. Different people probably find different resources most helpful. Also, "To learn how to implement computer programs, read books about it." contradicts the original comment's "There is no substitute for doing" more than I'm happy with.
  - cess11 2y ago
    I wouldn't call it a tutorial. It's the reference manual, but with more words and some stuff about pip and so on to make it more palatable to someone who isn't already initiated. You need to start by reading somewhere, or you'll probably not get anywhere, as evidenced by pretty much zero office grunts using web browsers every day having figured out the JS console and application development on their own without reading about it. I recommend books over tutorial texts. But yeah, as I alluded to, you need to build stuff and learn from other builders.

cess11 2y ago

Trying to learn to become a developer from tutorials is like trying to become a carpenter by reading instruction manuals for saws, nail guns, &c. To learn how to implement computer programs, read books about it.

penteract 2y ago
We might have different ideas about what constitutes a tutorial. Online tutorials vary massively in quality, but something like the official Python tutorial https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/ https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/ is a fine resource. I would even say that the categories are not mutually exclusive - I would call "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs" both a book and a tutorial. Different people probably find different resources most helpful. Also, "To learn how to implement computer programs, read books about it." contradicts the original comment's "There is no substitute for doing" more than I'm happy with.
- cess11 2y ago
  I wouldn't call it a tutorial. It's the reference manual, but with more words and some stuff about pip and so on to make it more palatable to someone who isn't already initiated. You need to start by reading somewhere, or you'll probably not get anywhere, as evidenced by pretty much zero office grunts using web browsers every day having figured out the JS console and application development on their own without reading about it. I recommend books over tutorial texts. But yeah, as I alluded to, you need to build stuff and learn from other builders.