Python is a programming language designed to enhance your efficiency and facilitate seamless integration of your systems.
Python, crafted by Guido van Rossum and unveiled in 1991, stands as a widely embraced programming language. Its versatile applications encompass:
- Web development (server-side)
- Software development
- Mathematics
- System scripting
Python’s capabilities extend to:
- Creating web applications on servers
- Collaborating with software to construct workflows
- Establishing connections with database systems, as well as reading and modifying files
- Managing big data and executing intricate mathematical operations
- Facilitating rapid prototyping and the development of production-ready software
Reasons to opt for Python include its cross-platform compatibility (Windows, Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi, etc.), user-friendly syntax akin to the English language, and the ability to write concise programs with fewer lines compared to some other languages. Operating on an interpreter system allows Python code to be executed promptly after being written, enabling swift prototyping.
Python offers flexibility, accommodating procedural, object-oriented, or functional programming approaches. Noteworthy is the fact that Python 3, the latest major version, is the focus of this tutorial, while Python 2, though only receiving security updates, maintains popularity.
In this tutorial, Python will be coded in a text editor, though Integrated Development Environments like Thonny, PyCharm, Netbeans, or Eclipse can be advantageous for managing larger Python file collections.
Python’s syntax, designed for readability and influenced by English language and mathematical principles, departs from conventions seen in other languages. It utilizes new lines to conclude commands, in contrast to semicolons or parentheses. Additionally, Python relies on indentation, employing whitespace to delineate scope for loops, functions, and classes, a departure from the customary use of curly brackets in other languages.