Summary: in this tutorial, you’ll understand what Python programming language is and why you should start learning Python today.
What is Python programming language
Python is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted programming language.
1) High-level
Python is a high-level programming language that makes it easy to learn. Python doesn’t require you to understand the details of the computer in order to develop programs efficiently.
2) General-purpose
Python is a general-purpose language. It means that you can use Python in various domains including:
- Web applications
- Big data applications
- Testing
- Automation
- Data science, machine learning, and AI
- Desktop software
- Mobile apps
The targeted language like SQL which can be used for querying data from relational databases.
3) Interpreted
Python is an interpreted language. To develop a Python program, you write Python code into a file called source code.
To execute the source code, you need to convert it to the machine language that the computer can understand. And the Python interpreter turns the source code, line by line, once at a time, into the machine code when the Python program executes.
Compiled languages like Java and C# use a compiler that compiles the whole source code before the program executes.
Why Python
Python increases your productivity. Python allows you to solve complex problems in less time and fewer lines of code. It’s quick to make a prototype in Python.
Python becomes a solution in many areas across industries, from web applications to data science and machine learning.
Python is quite easy to learn in comparison with other programming languages. Python syntax is clear and beautiful.
Python has a large ecosystem that includes lots of libraries and frameworks.
Python is cross-platform. Python programs can run on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Python has a huge community. Whenever you get stuck, you can get help from an active community.
Python developers are in high demand.
Python versions
Python has two major versions: 2x and 3x.
Python 2.x was released in 2000. The latest version is 2.7 released in 2010. It isn’t recommended for use in new projects.
Python 3.x was released in 2008. Basically, Python 3 isn’t compatible with Python 2. And you should use the latest versions of Python 3 for your new projects.
Summary
- Python is an interpreted, high-level, general-purpose programming language.
- Python becomes the solution in many domains from web applications, data analysis, data science, machine learning, and AI.
- Use Python 3 for the new development.
