Zed A. Shaw
Zed A. Shaw is an extremely successful and influential technology writer, most well-known for his books “Learn Python the Hard Way” and “Learn Ruby the Hard Way”. Born in California, he has worked in a variety of industries from film production, to web development and programming.
Like many successful authors of modern technology literature, Shaw got his start in computers at an early age. He learned about computers and programming from an early age, primarily through theuse of user-friendly operating systems like Apple II and Commodore 64. In his early teenage years he taught himself to code, primarily in Macintosh BASIC and PowerBASIC.
This early instruction in coding, combined with his natural knack for hacking helped Shaw become exceptionally adeptat programming and web development. After high school he enrolled in college as a Philosophy major, though he dropped out after two years.
After leaving school, Shaw worked a variety of jobs in the tech industry, including freelance web developer and software engineer. During this time healso worked as a freelance writer, including writing web tutorials and other technical documents. Shaw found this work so stimulating and enjoyable that it inspiredhim to pursue a career as an author.
Shaw’s first book was the wildly successful “Learn Python the Hard Way”, which was initially published in 2009. Written for someone with no programming experience, the book quickly became a bestseller and is now on its third edition with over 600,000 copies sold.
Following the success of “Learn Python the Hard Way”, Shaw wrote another bestseller, “Learn Ruby the Hard Way”. This too, was a bestseller and is still available in its second edition.He also wrote a few other books, such as “The Command Line Crash Course” and “Git Branching and Merging”.
Other than his books, Shaw is also well-known for his blogs and articles. His blog, “Talk Python to Me” is an excellent resource for aspiring developers and coders who want to learn more about the Python language. His other articles and writings can be found on his website and he occasionally writes for popular programming blogs such as Hackernews and Smashing Magazine.
In addition to his books and blog, Shaw is also an active member of the Python and Ruby communities. He often speaks at different programming conferences, such as Pycon and Rails Conf. He’s also an active mentor and teacher, running Python and Ruby bootcamps as well as providing occasional online tutorials for aspiring developers.
Finally, Zed A. Shaw is also the founder of LearnCodeOnline.com, a website focused on helping people learn web development and coding for free. Since its launch in 2016, LearnCodeOnline.com has become an invaluable resource for aspiring web developers, helping them learn the ropes with step-by-step tutorials.
All in all, Zed A. Shaw is a hugely successful and influential writer, author, and mentor in the programming community. From his immensely popular books to his active participation in the coding community, he’s certainly made a name for himself. If you’re looking to learn more about coding or web development, taking a look at Shaw’s books and articles is certainly worth your while.
