When comparing Learn Python the Hard way vs exercism.org, the Slant community recommends Learn Python the Hard way for most people. In the question“What are the best resources to learn Python?” Learn Python the Hard way is ranked 3rd while exercism.org is ranked 4th. The most important reason people chose Learn Python the Hard way is:
Teaches by giving a piece of code and letting the user see what the code does.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Practical
Teaches by giving a piece of code and letting the user see what the code does.
Pro Free
Available online for free.
Pro Encourages use of flash cards
To help better remember certain parts of the language, the author suggests using flash cards.
Pro Human review and feedback
Rather than merely test for code correctness, Exercism uses peer review to improve general programming techniques. Users are encouraged to comment on others' solutions, and refine their own based on feedback.
Pro Practice with production tools
Unlike many code practice websites, Exercism requires the user to develop and test entirely offline, submitting only the finished code. This promotes familiarity with essential tools and workflow, not just the bare language.
Cons
Con Author still suggests newcomers to the language learn Python 2
The only reason to learn Python 2 these days is if you have to workout on legacy Python 2 software, and upgrading to Python 3 is not an option. Telling newcomers to learn a outdated, and soon to be unsupported version of the language is detrimental.
Con Suggests looking up details on the web
The book often suggests looking up details on the web instead of providing them. Additionally, no resources are suggested where to look up such information. As a result the quality of explanation of details can vary based on used resource.
Con Custom commandline client
Exercism requires using a CLI utility to fetch and submit exercises. This is inconvenient compared to web-only alternatives, and poses an additional barrier to entry for some users.