One question an entry
The log
Everything worked out and written down: what the subscriptions charge and on which billing panel they admit it, which free curricula do the same job for nothing, how large a course says it is in its own words, and what its certificate is and is not. No number appears here without the date it was read off somebody’s page.
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The best books to learn Python: one is free, one costs $49.99
What a book does that a course cannot, what the two standard recommendations actually cost, and why the free one is the better first read.
Codecademy review: the clearest pricing page we read, and what that does not mean
Four tiers, both billing terms printed together, no discount badge and a permanently free plan. Full marks for candour about money — which is not the same as being the best course.
Online computer science courses: the best one is free, and it starts with C
Computer science is not the same as learning to code. What the difference buys you, why CS50x spends five weeks on C, and what its certificate is not.
The free Python courses worth your time — and the one not to start with
A charity, a university and a volunteer project have produced better beginner material than anything on our paid list. Here is what each actually is.
How long does it take to learn JavaScript? And why it feels slower
JavaScript never arrives alone — you learn HTML, CSS and the DOM with it. Here are the three places the weeks actually go, and no invented timeline.
How long does it take to learn Python? The honest answer
Every confident range you have read traces back to another article rather than to a study. Here is what can actually be measured instead — and why the question is really about money.
Is Codecademy free? What the $0 plan includes, and where the wall is
Basic is $0 and marked Always free — no trial, no card, no clock. Here is exactly what sits behind the wall, and the free routes with no wall at all.
Is Python hard to learn? Yes and no, and the difference matters
Python is among the gentlest languages to start in. Programming is hard in any language. Confusing the two is why people quit in week three.
Learn Python online: the four formats, and which one you actually need
Interactive, taught, read-and-build, or project-first. Knowing which shape you are looking at saves more time than any feature comparison.
Python Crash Course, 3rd Edition: a review with no score, on purpose
552 pages, December 2022, $49.99 in print. What is in it, what the date means for the project chapters, and why this page carries no rating.
Web development courses online: what has to be covered, and who covers it free
Six things any honest beginner route must include, the four free routes that cover them, and where a subscription genuinely earns its money.