What is Python?
Python is a popular programming language. It was created by Guido van Rossum, and released in 1991.
Python's simple, easy to learn syntax emphasizes readability and therefore reduces the cost of program maintenance. Python is an interpreted, object-oriented, high-level programming language with dynamic semantics. Its high-level built-in data structures, combined with dynamic typing and dynamic binding, make it very attractive for Rapid Application Development, as well as for use as a scripting or glue language to connect existing components together. Python supports modules and packages, which encourages program modularity and code reuse. The Python interpreter and the extensive standard library are available in source or binary form without charge for all major platforms, and can be freely distributed.
Often, programmers fall in love with Python because of the increased productivity it provides. Since there is no compilation step, the edit-test-debug cycle is incredibly fast. Debugging Python programs is easy: a bug or bad input will never cause a segmentation fault. Instead, when the interpreter discovers an error, it raises an exception. When the program doesn't catch the exception, the interpreter prints a stack trace. A source-level debugger allows the inspection of local and global variables, evaluation of arbitrary expressions, setting breakpoints, stepping through the code a line at a time, and so on. The debugger is written in Python itself, testifying to Python's introspective power. On the other hand, often the quickest way to debug a program is to add a few print statements to the source: the fast edit-test-debug cycle makes this simple approach very effective.
Additionally, Python supports the use of modules and packages, which means that programs can be designed in a modular style and code can be reused across a variety of projects. Once you've developed a module or package you need, it can be scaled for use in other projects, and it's easy to import or export these modules.
One of the most promising benefits of Python is that both the standard library and the interpreter are available free of charge, in both binary and source form. There is no exclusivity either, as Python and all the necessary tools are available on all major platforms. Therefore, it is an enticing option for developers who don't want to worry about paying high development costs.
If this description of Python over your head, don't worry. You'll understand it soon enough. What you need to take away from this section is that Python is a programming language used to develop software on the web and in app form, including mobile. It's relatively easy to learn, and the necessary tools are available to all free of charge.
It is used for:
web development (server-side),
software development,
mathematics,
system scripting.
What can Python do?
You’re probably wondering what people are building with Python in the real world. So first, let’s take a quick look at how some of the big tech companies are using the language.
Google is a company that has used Python from the start, and it’s gained a place as one of the tech giant’s main server-side languages. Guido van Rossum, Python’s Benevolent Dictator for Life, even worked there for several years, overseeing the language’s development.
Instagram likes Python for its simplicity. The service is known for running “the world’s largest deployment of the Django web framework, which is written entirely in Python.”
Spotify puts the language to use in its data analysis and back-end services. According to their team, Python’s ease of use leads to a lightning-fast development pipeline. Spotify performs a ton of analyses to give recommendations to their users, so they need something that’s simple but also works well. Python to the rescue!
Python can be used on a server to create web applications.
Python can be used alongside software to create workflows.
Python can connect to database systems. It can also read and modify files.
Python can be used to handle big data and perform complex mathematics.
Python can be used for rapid prototyping, or for production-ready software development.
Why Python?
Python works on different platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi, etc).
Python has a simple syntax similar to the English language.
Python has syntax that allows developers to write programs with fewer lines than some other programming languages.
Python runs on an interpreter system, meaning that code can be executed as soon as it is written. This means that prototyping can be very quick.
Python can be treated in a procedural way, an object-orientated way or a functional way.
Good to know
The most recent major version of Python is Python 3, which we shall be using in this tutorial. However, Python 2, although not being updated with anything other than security updates, is still quite popular.
In this tutorial Python will be written in a text editor. It is possible to write Python in an Integrated Development Environment, such as Thonny, Pycharm, Netbeans or Eclipse which are particularly useful when managing larger collections of Python files.
Python Syntax compared to other programming languages
Python was designed for readability, and has some similarities to the English language with influence from mathematics.
Python uses new lines to complete a command, as opposed to other programming languages which often use semicolons or parentheses.
Python relies on indentation, using whitespace, to define scope; such as the scope of loops, functions and classes. Other programming languages often use curly-brackets for this purpose.