Limitations

This book can't cover everything Python. There are a number of things which we will not cover in depth, and some things which we can't even touch on lightly. This list will provide you directions for further study.

  • The rest of the Python library. The library is a large, sophisticated, rapidly-evolving collection of software components. We selected a few modules that are widely-used. There are many books which cover the library in general, and books which cover specific modules in depth.

  • The subject of Object-Oriented (OO) design is the logical next stepd in learning Python. That topic is covered in Building Skills in Object-Oriented Design [Lott05].

  • Database design and programming requires a knowledge of Python and a grip on OO design. It requires a digression into the relational model and the SQL language.

  • Graphical User Interface (GUI) development requires a knowledge of Python, OO design and database design. There are two commonly-used toolkits: Tkinter and pyGTK. We'll cover pyGTK in a future volume on graphics programming and GUI design with GTK.

  • Web application development, likewise, requires a knowledge of Python, OO design and database design. This topic requires digressions into internetworking protocols, specifically HTTP and SOAP, plus HTML, XML and CSS languages. There are numerous web development frameworks for Python.