Python is a widely-used, interpreted, object-oriented, and high-level programming language with dynamic semantics, used for general-purpose programming.
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What is Python?
Python is a widely-used, interpreted, object-oriented, and high-level
programming language with dynamic semantics, used for general-purpose
programming.
And while you may know the python as a large snake, the name of the
Python programming language comes from an old BBC television comedy
sketch series called Monty Python's Flying Circus.
At the height of its success, the Monty Python team were performing
their sketches to live audiences across the world, including at the
Hollywood Bowl.
Since Monty Python is considered one of the two fundamental nutrients
to a programmer (the other being pizza), Python's creator named the
language in honor of the TV show.
Who created Python?
One of the amazing features of Python is the fact that it is actually
one person's work. Usually, new programming languages are developed and
published by large companies employing lots of professionals, and due to
copyright rules, it is very hard to name any of the people involved in
the project. Python is an exception.
There are not many languages whose authors are known by name. Python
was created by Guido van Rossum, born in 1956 in Haarlem,
the Netherlands. Of course, Guido van Rossum did not develop and evolve
all the Python components himself.
The speed with which Python has spread around the world is a result of
the continuous work of thousands (very often anonymous) programmers,
testers, users (many of them aren't IT specialists) and enthusiasts, but
it must be said that the very first idea (the seed from which Python
sprouted) came to one head - Guido's.
Python goals
In 1999, Guido van Rossum defined his goals for Python:
an easy and intuitive language just as powerful as those of
the major competitors;
open source, so anyone can contribute to its development;
code that is as understandable as plain English;
suitable for everyday tasks, allowing for short development times.
About 20 years later, it is clear that all these intentions have been
fulfilled. Some sources say that Python is the most popular programming
language in the world, while others claim it's the third or the
fifth.
Either way, it still occupies a high rank in the top ten of
the PYPL Popularity of Programming Language and the TIOBE Programming Community Index.
Python isn't a young language. It is mature and trustworthy. It's
not a one-hit wonder. It's a bright star in the programming firmament,
and time spent learning Python is a very good investment.
What makes Python special?
How does it happen that programmers, young and old, experienced and
novice, want to use it?
How did it happen that large companies adopted Python and implemented
their flagship products using it?
There are many reasons - we've listed some of them already, but let's
enumerate them again in a more practical manner:
it's easy to learn -
the time needed to learn Python is shorter than for many other
languages; this means that it's possible to start the actual programming
faster;
it's easy to teach -
the teaching workload is smaller than that needed by other languages;
this means that the teacher can put more emphasis on general
(language-independent) programming techniques, not wasting energy on
exotic tricks, strange exceptions and incomprehensible rules;
it's easy to use for writing new software - it's often
possible to write code faster when using Python;
it's easy to understand -
it's also often easier to understand someone else's code faster if it is
written in Python;
it's easy to obtain, install and deploy -
Python is free, open and multiplatform; not all languages can boast
that.
Of course, Python has its drawbacks, too:
it's not a speed demon -
Python does not deliver exceptional performance;
in some cases it may be resistant to some simpler testing techniques
-
this may mean that debugging Python's code can be more difficult than
with other languages; fortunately, making mistakes is always harder in
Python.
It should also be stated that Python is not the only solution of its
kind available on the IT market.
It has lots of followers, but there are many who prefer other languages
and don't even consider Python for their projects.
Python rivals?
Python has two direct competitors, with comparable properties and
predispositions. These are:
Perl -
a scripting language originally authored by Larry Wall;
Ruby -
a scripting language originally authored by Yukihiro Matsumoto.
The former is more traditional, more conservative than Python, and
resembles some of the good old languages derived from the classic C
programming language.
In contrast, the latter is more innovative and more full of fresh ideas
than Python. Python itself lies somewhere between these two
creations.
Where can we see Python in action?
We see it every day and almost everywhere. It's used extensively to
implement complex Internet services like search engines, cloud
storage and tools, social media and so on. Whenever you use any of these
services, you are actually very close to Python, although you wouldn't
know it.
Many developing tools are implemented in Python. More and
more everyday use applications are being written in Python.
Lots of scientists have abandoned expensive proprietary tools
and switched to Python. Lots of IT project testers have
started using Python to carry out repeatable test procedures. The list
is long.
Why not Python?
Despite Python's growing popularity, there are still some niches where
Python is absent, or is rarely seen:
low-level programming (sometimes called "close to metal"
programming):
if you want to implement an extremely effective driver or graphical
engine, you wouldn't use Python;
applications for mobile devices:
although this territory is still waiting to be conquered by Python, it
will most likely happen someday.
There is more than one Python
There are two main kinds of Python, called Python 2 and Python 3.
Python 2 is an older version of the original Python. Its development
has since been intentionally stalled, although that doesn't mean that
there are no updates to it. On the contrary, the updates are issued on a
regular basis, but they are not intended to modify the language in any
significant way. They rather fix any freshly discovered bugs and
security holes. Python 2's development path has reached a dead end
already, but Python 2 itself is still very much alive.
Python 3 is the newer (to be precise, the current) version of the
language. It's going through its own evolution path, creating its own
standards and habits.
These two versions of Python aren't compatible with each other. Python
2 scripts won't run in a Python 3 environment and vice versa, so if you
want the old Python 2 code to be run by a Python 3 interpreter, the only
possible solution is to rewrite it, not from scratch, of course, as
large parts of the code may remain untouched, but you do have to revise
all the code to find all possible incompatibilities.
99999
It's too hard, too time-consuming, too expensive, and too risky to
migrate an old Python 2 application to a new platform. It's possible
that rewriting the code will introduce new bugs to it. It's easier and
more sensible to leave these systems alone and to improve the existing
interpreter, instead of trying to work inside the already functioning
source code.
Python 3 isn't just a better version of Python 2 -
it is a completely different language, although it's very similar to
its predecessor. When you look at them from a distance, they appear
to be the same, but when you look closely, though, you notice a lot
of differences.
If you're modifying an old existing Python solution, then it's highly
likely that it was coded in Python 2. This is the reason why Python 2
is still in use. There are too many existing Python 2 applications to
discard it altogether.
NOTE:-
If you're going to start a new Python project, you should use
Python 3.It is important to remember that there may be smaller or bigger
differences between subsequent Python 3 releases (e.g., Python 3.6
introduced ordered dictionary keys by default under the CPython
implementation) - the good news, though, is that all the newer versions
of Python 3 are backwards compatible with the previous
versions of Python 3.
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