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I asked in another question about where a good place to start learning programming was and I came to the conclusion with the many helpful answers, that I would like to go with Python. So now, would there be a benefit to using a .NET implementation like IronPython or should I just do Python? My understanding is I would get a better grasp of fundamentals without relying on .NET, is that accurate?

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I don't know. Do you want to? Unless you have a specific need then this question is off topic. – ChrisF♦ Jul 28 '11 at 20:45
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IronPython is really just handy if you want to use .NET classes from Python or vice versa. If you just want to learn Python, learn Python. – Anna Lear♦ Jul 28 '11 at 20:46
@Anna Lear: IronPython is Python, just as much as CPython is Python. Both are implementations of the same language spec. – Jörg W Mittag Jul 28 '11 at 22:58
@Jorg Depending on what you do, it has some platform-specific differences. I don't recall specifics anymore, but we've run into file path handling differences on Windows vs Linux with IronPython. Not saying IronPython is unusable or anything, but if one's gonna learn, might as well just use the "real" thing. – Anna Lear♦ Jul 29 '11 at 0:26

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Straight Python. If you're going to learn Python, start at the bottom. Python can be extremely concise on its own. Sticking to the core should help you avoid confusing language features with .NET libraries. You also have the benefit of totally portable code (Windows, Mac, Linux are all supported). There are a ton of resources out there, so get to know the basics. Good luck!

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Thanks :) It's a bit daunting but exciting too. – Daniel Ball Jul 28 '11 at 22:39
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  • Learn Python with CPython (because It's the official implementation).
  • When you have sufficient knowledge, learn about the different implementations.
  • Select the correct implementation for each development.
  • You shouldn't learn only one implementation. In the future you can need know others (jython, pypy, etc).
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