What is Python? | Introduction to Python Programming

Python is an easy to learn, in-demand general-purpose interpreted, interactive, object-oriented, and high-level coding language, i.e. it is not necessary to compile it before you run it.

It invented by Guido van Rossum is popularly referred to as the founder of Python programming throughout 1985- 1990. Python is an interpreted scripting language. Much like Perl, Python source code is also available under the GNU General Public License (GPL).

This tutorial provides enough knowledge on Python programming language. This language was so named in honor the cast of the comic “Monty Python.” Python syntax is straightforward, code indentation (rather than the use of braces) allows for very readable programs and more compact.

What is Python?

Python is both simple and powerful, it allows you to write simple scripts quickly, but thanks to its many libraries you can work on more ambitious projects.

• Python is simple to learn yet powerful and flexible scripting language, making it appealing for Application Development.

• Web: Today python, combined with the Django framework, is an excellent technology choice for large websites projects.

• System: Python is also often used by the system admin to create or called repetitive maintenance tasks. Besides, if you want to create java applications by coding in python, it is possible through the Jython project.

• Python supports numerous programming patterns, such as object-oriented, critical, and operational or procedural programming styles.

• Python’s syntax and dynamic typing with its interpreted nature make it an ideal language for scripting and rapid application development.

• Python isn’t meant to operate in a particular area, for example, web programming. That’s why it’s called multipurpose programming language since it can be used with the internet, business, 3D CAD, etc.

• We don’t need to use data types to declare variable because it is dynamically typed so we can write a=10 to assign an integer value in an integer variable.

• Python gets the creation and debugging fast since there’s not any compilation step involved in Python development, and also edit-test-debug cycle is high-speed.

Why Python?

Python is a high-level, interpreted, interactive, and object-oriented language. Python intended to be extremely legible.

Python has a simple syntax, tt uses English keywords frequently, whereas other languages use punctuation, and it has fewer syntactical structures than other languages. Python works on different platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi, etc). Python can be treated in a procedural way, an object-orientated way or a functional way.

Python is essential for students and working professionals to turn into an excellent Software Engineer, especially when they’re using in web development (server-side), software development, mathematics, system scripting. Python has a syntax that allows developers to write programs with fewer lines than some other programming languages. I shall list down a few of the Vital Benefits of studying Python:

• Python is Interpreted – Python is processed at runtime from the interpreter system. You don’t have to compile your program before implementing it. It means that prototyping can be rapid. It’s like PERL and PHP.

• Python is Interactive – It is possible to sit in a Python prompt and interact with the interpreter directly to compose your programs.

• Python is Object-Oriented – Python supports Object-Oriented design or method of programming which encapsulates code inside objects.

• Python is a Beginner’s Language – Python is a beautiful language for its beginner-level developers. It supports the evolution of a large selection of programs from simple text processing to WWW browsers to games.

What can Python do?

• Python may be used on a server to make web applications.

• Python is used together with software to make workflows.

• Python may connect to database systems. Besides, it can read and modify files.

• Python can be used for rapid prototyping or production-ready software development.

Characteristics of Python

Following are Significant Features of Python Programming:

• It supports operational and structured programming techniques in addition to OOP.
• It may be utilized as a scripting language or could be compiled to byte-code for building large software.

• It supplies relatively high-level dynamic data types and supports dynamic type checking.

• It supports automatic garbage collection.

• It can be easily integrated using C, C++, COM, ActiveX, CORBA, and Java.

Applications of Python

As stated earlier, Python is among the most frequently used languages across the net. I will record Some of these:

• Easy-to-learn – Python includes a couple of keywords and phrases, simple construction, and a clearly defined syntax. It permits the student to pick up the language immediately.
• Easy-to-read – Python code is much more clearly defined and visible to your eyes.
• Easy-to-maintain – Python’s source code is quite easy-to-maintain.
• A extensive standard library – Python’s majority of the library- is mobile and also cross-platform with UNIX, Windows, and Macintosh.

• Interactive Mode – The Python has support for an interactive manner that enables interactive debugging and testing of snippets of code.
• Portable – Python can operate on a vast array of hardware platforms and contains precisely the same interface on all platforms.
• Extendable – You may add low-level modules into the Python interpreter. These modules allow developers to improve or customize their resources to be efficient.

• Databases – Python provides interfaces to all significant commercial databases.

• GUI Programming – Python, supports GUI software, which may be produced and ported to a lot of system calls, libraries, and windows programs, including Windows MFC, Macintosh, and the X Window program of Unix.

• Scalable – Python provides a much better arrangement and support for large programs than shell scripting.

Why prefer Python to other languages?

Python is extensible, interpreted object-oriented language to learn. Its code is more readable, so it is easier to maintain and available on multiple platforms and multiple operating systems. Sometimes it is up to 5 times more concise than Java, for example, increasing developer productivity and mechanically reducing bugs. The language itself is a standard, so any valid Python script will run, unmodified, on any platform that supports the interpreter.

Python is also used in the scientific community, such as bioinformatics. Libraries are available for this area as a biopython module.

There are also libraries facilitating the creation of video games in 2D (and 3D) example: PyGame.

Who uses Python?

Google (Guido van Rossum worked for Google to 2005-2012), Yahoo, Microsoft, NASA claims the use of Python, to name a few.

The language itself is a standard, so any valid Python script will run, unmodified, on any platform that supports the interpreter.

Python combines remarkably well to power with self-explanatory syntax. It has modules, classes, exceptions, types of data from a very high level, and dynamic typing. There are interfaces to many calls and library systems and various window systems (X11, Motif, Tk, Mac, MFC). The newly designed modules are easily written in C or C ++. Python is also usable as an extension language for applications that need a programmable interface.

Python 2 vs. Python 3

In most programming languages, if a new version releases, it supports the features and syntax of the present version of this language, so it’s simpler for your projects to change from the more recent version. Nevertheless, in Python’s case, the two variations Python 2 and Python 3(The most recent major version of Python is Python 3) are very much different from one another.
A list of differences between Python 2 and Python 3 are given below:

• Python 2, although not being updated with anything other than security updates, is still quite popular.

• Python 2 utilized print for a statement and used it as print “something” to print some string on the console. On the other side, Python 3 used to print as a function and used it as a print(“something”) to print something on the console.

• Python 2 utilizes the function raw_input() to take the user’s input. It returns the string representing the value, which can be typed by the user. To convert it in the integer, we must use the int() function in Python. On the flip side, Python 3 utilizes input() function, which automatically translated precisely the type of input by the user. But, we could cast this value into some type using primitive functions (int(), str(), etc.).

• In Python 2, the implicit string type is ASCII, whereas, in Python 3, the implicit string type is Unicode.

• Python 3 does not include the xrange() function of Python 2. The xrange() version of range() function, which returns an xrange object that functions like Java iterator. The range() returns a list, as an example, the function range (0,3) comprises 0, 1, 2.

• There’s also a little change made in Exception handling in Python 3. It defines a keyword where is essential to be utilized.

• 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 more extensive collections of Python files.

Python Syntax compared to other programming languages

• Python was created for readability and had any similarities to the English language using sway from math.

• Python utilizes new lines to finish a command, instead of other programming languages which frequently use semicolons or parentheses.

• Python is based on indentation, with whitespace, to define the scope, like the scope of loops, functions, and classes. Other programming languages frequently use curly-brackets for this objective.