Introduction of Python Programming language (Part 1/6)

Experience the Beauty of Python: The Easiest Language to Learn and Use

5 min readMar 25, 2023

Member’s of Monty Python in 1969 (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Python)

When he began implementing Python, Guido van Rossum was also reading the published scripts from “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”, a BBC comedy series from the 1970s. Van Rossum thought he needed a name that was short, unique, and slightly mysterious, so he decided to call the language Python

Here is the joke

Why do Python developers prefer Macs?
Because they don’t like snakes on Windows!

Python is an interpreted, high-level programming language that is commonly used for various tasks, such as general programming, web development, scientific computing, and data analysis.

Developed in 1991 by Guido van Rossum, it has become one of the most popular languages around the globe. Python is designed to be simple to read and write, making it an ideal language for new coders to learn. Moreover, it has a large and vibrant community that generates and maintains numerous libraries and tools that can be utilized for multiple uses.

Python is equipped with features such as:

Object-oriented programming support
Dynamic typing
Memory management
In-built data structures (e.g. lists, dictionaries, tuples)
A generous standard library

It can be used in a variety of fields, such as data science, machine learning, AI, web development, and scientific computing and, is compatible with multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.

The past, Present, and Future

The past, present, and future of the Python programming language are as follows:

Past

In 1989, Guido van Rossum developed Python, which saw its initial public release (version 0.9.0) in February 1991.
Python 2 was launched in 2000 and gained much popularity thanks to its straightforwardness and practicality.
However, when Python 3 was launched in 2008, its adoption was sluggish due to compatibility issues.

Present

Python is commonly used in the development of software and applications, with a large presence in the technology industry.
According to the latest TIOBE Index for programming languages, Python is ranked third and had a rating of 9.67% as of March 2023.
Additionally, the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2021 found that Python was the fourth most popular language among developers, with 31.5% of them using the language.
Python is used for a variety of applications, including data science, artificial intelligence, web development, and game development.

Future

Python’s future looks promising. It is already being used in a wide range of industries and applications, and its popularity continues to grow.
Python has established itself as the dominant language for data science and analytics, thanks to its extensive collection of data science libraries such as NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, and Scikit-learn.
There are still a few areas like speed and memory, for which the python community need to work to keep python popular in the future.
And with the increasing demand for using data as a tool to create products and services, the demand for python developers is going to increase.

Applications

Some of the common applications of Python include:

Data science and machine learning: Python has a ton of different libraries and tools for data analysis, machine learning, and AI. People usually use stuff like NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, and Keras when they’re exploring data, creating models, and working with AI.
Scientific computing: Python is a widely used language in the scientific world, particularly due to its SciPy library which provides functions for things like optimization, linear algebra, and signal processing.
Automation and scripting: Python is perfect for automating boring, tedious tasks and writing programs to manage your system, do network programming, and more.
Web development: Python is a popular choice for web development, mainly because frameworks like Django and Flask are available. Using these frameworks makes it much simpler to create web apps, RESTful APIs, and other web-based services.
Desktop application development: Python can be used to create cross-platform desktop applications using frameworks like PyQt and Tkinter.
Game development: Python can be used to create games, particularly 2D games, using libraries like Pygame.
Education: Python is a great language for learning how to program because it’s easy to pick up, the code is easy to read and there are tons of educational resources online.

These are just a few examples of the many applications of Python. Its versatility and ease of use make it a popular choice for developers in a wide range of industries and applications.

Advantages

There are several advantages of using Python programming language:

Easy-to-learn syntax: Python has a simple, easy-to-grasp syntax so it’s a great choice for newbies to learn. Its syntax is designed to be easy to read and understand, even for those who don’t program.
Large and active community: There’s a huge, active community of developers who help maintain Python and create and maintain a bunch of libraries and tools which can be used for all kinds of stuff.
Cross-platform compatibility: It’s also cross-platform compatible so it runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux
Versatility: It’s versatile, used for web development, data analysis, sci-computing, machine learning, and more.
Extensive standard library: There’s a huge standard library with modules for all kinds of tasks, from string manipulation to network programming, so it’s easy to do lots of stuff without writing your code.
Interpreted nature: Python is interpreted, so you can run the code right away without having to compile it first, making it easy to write and test code quickly.

Disadvantages

While Python has many advantages, there are some disadvantages to using the language:

Slower execution speed: Python, as an interpreted language, has a slower execution speed compared to compiled languages such as C or C++. While this discrepancy is often insignificant for most applications, it may be a hindrance when it comes to high-performance applications like gaming or massive data processing.
Weak in mobile computing: Python is not well-suited for the development of native mobile applications, with existing libraries providing only limited support.
Memory consumption: Its dynamic nature and automatic memory allocation can lead to considerable memory consumption in programs requiring extensive data management.
Not suitable for low-level programming: Python’s high-level language design renders it unsuitable for low-level programming tasks such as device drivers or operating system kernels.
Limited threading: Python’s Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) can impair the use of threads in certain situations
Dependency management: Python’s dependency management may cause version conflicts and other difficulties when using third-party libraries.

This is part 1, and there will be 5 more part. This part was just about the theory type things. We will look into some code and actual Python stuff in upcoming parts.
Link for Part 1: https://medium.com/@siddp6/python-programming-language-part-1-6-8b937f7297bf
Link for Part 2: https://siddp6.medium.com/python-programming-language-part-2-6-403dabaa7c6a
Link for Part 3: https://medium.com/@siddp6/python-programming-language-part-3-6-ab0af8000e27
Link for Part 4: https://medium.com/@siddp6/conditionals-and-loops-python-programming-language-part-4-6-b5b1a8c9521e
Link for Part 5: https://siddp6.medium.com/functions-in-python-programming-language-part-5-6-5c2c5b1df5fe
Link for Part 6: https://siddp6.medium.com/classes-and-object-oriented-programming-oop-in-python-programming-language-part-6-6-4e2fca5e1eb9