Al Lukaszewski

Al strongly believes that computers should make easy things easier and hard things possible. Programming languages should work with the programmer, not against. For these reasons, Al uses Python.

Al started programming in the early 1980s on a machine that provided exactly 3583 bytes of memory. Much of his programming since then has related to text processing, database systems and natural language processing (NLP). Currently he overseas large NLP projects and consults on general programming matters.

When Al started programming, the various computer courses of today simply did not exist. One either learned computing on one's own or joined a technical outfit as a trainee and learned on the job. Since that time, Al has studied and received various accreditations including certification in C and C++ programming and a Ph.D. He remains a member of several professional societies including the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

This site is for anyone who uses or wants to use Python to do anything. Those who know nothing about programming and very little about computers are especially welcome. There will be parts of the site where advanced programmers can learn something new, but I have tried to make the basic tutorials particularly approachable for the newcomer. Python is an amazingly versatile language. It allows for "down and dirty" solutions while also enabling elegant solutions to very difficult problems. It is used daily by people like you to do repetetive tasks quickly. But Python is also powerful enough to solve the complex problems of NASA, Industrial Light and Magic, and the New York Stock Exchange. I think you will find that it is easy to learn, is easy to apply, and makes programming a very enjoyable and rewarding experience.