Python is a cross-platform object oriented programming language.
It was created by Guido van Rossum in 1991 and named after a British comedy group Monty Python.
One of the best qualities of Python is its emphasis on the readability and brevity of code. The result is that applications have fewer lines of code than their equivalents in other programming languages.
Tutorials
Operators
Exceptions
Functions
Classes
Iterators and Generators
Files
Databases
Debugging
Top reasons to learn Python?
There are dozens of programming languages. Many of them are designed to do well in some particular tasks, but lack in other. Before you start learning a programming language you should take into consideration its advantages and disadvantages.
Below, you will find reasons to use Python rather than other programming languages.
Shorter code and development time
Python code is usually between three to five times shorter than the similar code written in other languages, such as C/C++ or Java. That means, there is less typing and it’s easier to debug.
Easy to understand
Code written in Python is easier to understand than in any other language. It means that you spend less time reading, interpreting and making changes.
Smooth learning curve
The creators of Python decided that the language will have fewer odd rules that make learning programming languages hard.
Program portability
Programs written in Python are easy to port from Linux and Windows. It’s usually a matter of copying a script between these two platforms.
Many libraries
Python has a lot of prebuilt libraries, known as the standard library. It supports such programming tasks as file operations, text pattern matching, data compression, cryptography, graphical user interfaces and much more. Additionally, Python can be extended by the vast collection of third-party libraries.
Integration with other languages
Python can invoke C and C++ libraries, can be called from C and C++ programs and can integrate with .NET and Java components.
Popular and fast growing
It’s the second (2017) most popular language – after Java. But when you look at trends it will probably overtake Java in the near future.
What is Python used for?
Python is a very versatile language, but there are a few areas where it really shines.
Prototype applications
Because python emphasizes productivity, developers often create a prototype example of an application, before creating the actual program. It results in saving a lot of time.
Web-based applications
JavaScript is probably the most popular language to create browser-based applications. Sometimes you need additional functionality that JavaScript can’t offer. In such cases Python is often used as a replacement.
Engineering and scientific applications
Thanks to such libraries as NumPy and SciPy you can create math, scientific, and engineering applications even faster. These libraries greately reduce development time.
XML operations
The eXtensible Markup Language (XML) is used for storing and transporting data. If you work with web services it’s the main method of exchanging information on the Internet.
Working with databases
Business application rely heavilly on storing and manipulating data. Python offers libraries to the following databases: mysql, postgres, SQL Server, Oracle, Interbase, Informix, Gadly, mSQL, Sybase.
Organizations using Python
Python is broadly used by companies across a huge spectrum of disciplines. This list shows only a few of them.
Web
Games
Graphics
Finance
Science
Computer Hardware
Best ways to learn Python
There are many ways you can learn Python. The first way is, of course, to learn from this tutorial. But there are other courses, especially if you prefer watching videos from reading text, you can try Lynda and Udemy courses.