Python tutorial

Introduction:

Created in 1989 by Guido Rossum, Python is an object-oriented programming language. Python had been designed to offer rapid prototyping for complex applications. This language has interfaces to a lot of system calls of the operating system. Not only that, it is also extensible to C and C++. Lots of large multinational corporations like Google, NASA, Bit Torrent and others use Python for development. 

Python is also gaining huge popularity in fields like Artificial Intelligence, Neural Networks, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Cloud Computing and the other advanced fields of Computer Science. One of the main focus of the language had been on the reliability of code.

Python training has always been easy to learn and offers a powerful programming language at the hands of the programmers. This language offers high-level data structures and constructs and is yet a very simple and effective approach to object-oriented programming. The syntax is elegant and coupled with dynamic typing and the interpreted nature. So, the language is ideal for rapid application development and scripting. Not only that, Python can be used on most platforms.

The interpreter along with the extensive standard library for Python is freely available in source code or binary form for all the major platforms. It can be availed from the online website and can be distributed freely. Extending the Python interpreter is easy with the new functions and the data types that are implemented in C or C++. Python is also suitable as an extension language. It can be customized for specialized applications.

The language is dynamic and interpreted and there are no type declarations for the functions, parameters, variable or methods in the source code. Thus the code is quite short as well as flexible. There would be no compile-time checking of the source code. Python would be tracking the types of all the values at run time and would flag a piece of code that does not carry sense. Using the interpreter for the language is one of the best ways to work with it. The beginners would have lots of questions about the basic concepts and would need to figure things out by themselves. Whenever there is a doubt that the programmer wants to clear, the interpreter would do the job best.

Experimenting with the operators and variables is quite easy. If there is a run time error, the interpreter would raise appropriate flags to let the programmer know about the bug. Python is a case-sensitive language. The statements would also not require a semicolon to end. It is easy to use comments in the language as well.

The source files would have a '.py' extension and they are known as modules. The easiest way to run the Python module is the shell command 'python' followed by the module name would call the Python interpreter to execute the code.

Thus, Python is a very versatile language and it can be used for a wide range of applications. The language can help you to develop a lot of different applications in diverse fields.

History of python

Though the implementation of the language began in December 1989, the conception of the Python programming language had already begun in the late 1980s. Guido van Rossum started the implementation AT CWI. The Python was designed to be capable of exception handling and forming an interface with the Amoeba operating system. The principal author of the language is Guido van Rossum. He is still one of the central characters in deciding how the language would proceed in the future. The language had received its name from Monty Python's Flying Circus. 

How to install Python?

You need to have access to the Python interpreter to start working with the language. There are a few ways for this to be done. It can just be availed at the website python.org from the Python Software Foundation. It would involve downloading the proper installer for the operating system and running it on the computer. Package managers can be run in some operating systems to install the language. In Android systems, a mobile app that provides the Python programming environment can be used.

Installation of Python on Windows

To create Python programs on Windows systems, you would need to have the Python interpreter.

·         This can be done by downloading the Python installer from the website.

·         You would need to navigate to the Download page for Windows at python.org.

·         Under the column Python Releases for Windows, you should click on the Latest Python 3 Release. You should be scrolling to the bottom. The Windows x86-64 executable installer is for the 64-bit systems and the Windows x86 executable installer is designed for the 32-bit systems.

·         After that, you would need to run the installer by double clicks on the downloaded file.

·         The 'Install Now' button needs to be clicked on the dialogue box. Once the installation finishes in a few minutes, you would be having a Python 3 installation on the system.

Installation of Python on Windows Subsystems for Linux

If you already have the Windows 10 Anniversary or Creators Update, you would be able to install Python in another way. There is a feature called Windows Subsystem for Linux which would allow running a Linux environment on the Windows platform. No virtual machines would be required for this.

Installation of Python on Linux

With Linux, there are high chances that the Python would already be installed. But, you might have problems with the fact that you would not have the latest version. You can, however, find out the version. You might want to have the latest installation of the interpreter.