This first assignment in GIS programming was designed to show us the Python environment, how to use it, and how to create flowcharts. Going into this class with no prior experience in programming, I feel much more at ease after completing this week's module. Below is a simple flowchart created to demonstrating the logical process of how the problem (degrees=radians*180/pi) can be solved.
Another requirement for this week was to read “The Zen of Python” by Tim Peters. This is a set
of 19 "guiding principles" that can be found by typing import this into IDLE. I believe these guiding principles are
a shared philosophy within the Python community to emphasize to the user the
importance of simplicity, clarity, and readability when writing code in Python.
The purpose is to set a standard that anyone and everyone can understand and
use. Python is, after all, for anyone who wants to learn to code and not just
for the coding experts. The line “Explicit is better than implicit” resonates
with me most, as I value clear and concise instruction that is unambiguous,
leaving little space for guessing at any underlining meaning.
