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Python Introduction

What is Python

Python is an object-oriented, high level language, interpreted, dynamic and multipurpose programming language. 
Developed by Guido van Rossum in the early 1990. Like Perl, Python source code is also available under the GNU General Public License (GPL).  Python runs on many Unix variants, on the Mac, and on Windows 2000 and later.

History

Python was created in the early 1990s by Guido van Rossum at the National Research Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science in Netherlands.

The Python interpreter and the extensive standard library are freely available in source or binary form for all major platforms from the Python Web site, https://www.python.org/, and may be freely distributed. The Python interpreter is easily extended with new functions and data types implemented in C or C++ (or other languages callable from C). Python is also suitable as an extension language for customizable applications.

Python was created as a successor of a language called ABC (All Basic Code) and released publicly in1991. Guido remains Python’s principal author, although it includes many contributions from active user community.

Between 1990 and 2017 there are several versions released, current stable release is 3.7. In Python Software Foundation (PSF) was a non-profit organization created specifically to own Python-related Intellectual Property. Python is an Open Source.

Major uses of Python

  • System utilities (system admin tools, command line programs).
  • Web Development.
  • Graphical User Interfaces.
  • Internet scripting.
  • Embedded scripting.
  • Database access and programming.
  • Game programming.
  • Rapid prototyping and development.
  • Distributed programming

Features of Python Programming

Easy to Use

Python is easy to very easy to use and high level language. Thus it is programmer-friendly language.

Free and open-source

Python language is freely available https://www.python.org  and source-code is also available, even for commercial use. 

Portability

High level languages are portable, which means they are able to run across all major hardware and software platforms with few or no change in source code. Python is portable and can be used on Linux, Windows, Macintosh, Solaris, FreeBSD, OS/2, Amiga, AROS, AS/400 and many more.

Extensible

It implies that other languages such as C/C++ can be used to compile the code and thus it can be used further in your python code.

Interpreted language

Python is processed at runtime by the interpreter. You do not need to compile your program before executing it. This is similar to PERL and PHP.

Python is Interactive

You can actually sit at a Python prompt and interact with the interpreter directly to write your programs.

Object-oriented

Python supports object oriented language. Concept of classes and objects comes into existence.  Object oriented programming (OOP) helps you solve a complex problem intuitively.  

Libraries

Databases, web services, networking, numerical packages, graphical user interfaces, 3D graphics, others.

GUI Programming

Python supports GUI (Graphical User Interfaces) applications that can be created and ported to many system calls, libraries and windows systems, such as Windows MFC, Macintosh, and the X Window system of Unix.