When comparing Learn Python the Hard way vs Udacity - CS101, 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 Udacity - CS101 is ranked 6th. 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.
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 Active forums
Udacity has among the most active communities out of all MOOCs.
Pro Motivates by giving you real-world project
In this Udacity class you will learn how to build a working web crawler without any programming background required.
Pro Good teaching staff
Everything is explained in an easy to comprehend manner and the teaching assistants are dedicated and friendly.
Pro Beginner-friendly
There is no prior programming knowledge needed for this course.
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 Telling newcomers to learn a outdated, and soon to be unsupported version of the language is detrimental.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 Just one kind of certification
Udacity only gives out one kind of certification. It doesn't differentiate between skill.
