Unit – 1 Introduction to Python Programming

Introduction to Python
Python is a widely used general-purpose, high level programming language. It was created by Guido van
Rossum in 1991 and further developed by the Python Software Foundation. It was designed with an
emphasis on code readability, and its syntax allows programmers to express their concepts in fewer lines of
code.
Python is Object Oriented, High Level, Open Source, Easy to code, Interpreter Based Programming
Language. It is very simple and easy to use. Python supports multiple programming pattern, including object
oriented programming.
Python is an object-oriented programming language that is designed in C. By nature, it is a high-level
programming language that allows for the creation of both simple as well as complex operations. Along with
this Python comes inbuilt with a wide array of modules as well as libraries which allows it to support many
different programming languages like Java, C, C++, and JSON.
What is Python?
Python is a popular programming language. It was created by Guido van Rossum, and released in 1991.
Python is a general purpose, dynamic, high-level, and interpreted programming language. It supports Object
Oriented programming approach to develop applications. It is simple and easy to learn and provides lots of
high-level data structures.
Python is easy to learn yet powerful and versatile scripting language, which makes it attractive for
Application Development.
Python's syntax and dynamic typing with its interpreted nature make it an ideal language for scripting and
rapid application development.
Python supports multiple programming pattern, including object-oriented, imperative, and functional or
procedural programming styles.
Python is not intended to work in a particular area, such as web programming. That is why it is known
as multipurpose programming language because it can be used with web, enterprise, 3D CAD, etc.
We don't need to use data types to declare variable because it is dynamically typed so we can write a=10 to
assign an integer value in an integer variable.
Python makes the development and debugging fast because there is no compilation step included in Python
development, and edit-test-debug cycle is very fast.
It is used for:
 web development (server-side),
 software development,
 mathematics,
 system scripting.
What can Python do?
 Python can be used on a server to create web applications.
 Python can be used alongside software to create workflows.
 Python can connect to database systems. It can also read and modify files.
  Python can be used to handle big data and perform complex mathematics.
 Python can be used for rapid prototyping, or for production-ready software development.
Why Python?
 Python works on different platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi, etc).
 Python has a simple syntax similar to the English language.
 Python has syntax that allows developers to write programs with fewer lines than some other
programming languages.
 Python runs on an interpreter system, meaning that code can be executed as soon as it is written. This
means that prototyping can be very quick.
 Python can be treated in a procedural way, an object-oriented way or a functional way.

Advantages of Python

 Cross platform: Its code easily run on any platform like run on linux,
windlow, unix.
 Open Source: It is freely available for every one.
 Simple and easy: It is very simple and easy to use.
 Power Full: It have large standard library.
 GUI Design: It is also used for design graphic user interface.
 Object oriented: It follow all concept of oop's.

Python History
Python was invented by Guido van Rossum in 1991 at CWI in Netherland. The idea of Python
programming language has taken from the ABC programming language or we can say that ABC is a
predecessor of Python language.
There is also a fact behind the choosing name Python. Guido van Rossum was a fan of the popular BBC
comedy show of that time, "Monty Python's Flying Circus". So he decided to pick the name Python for
his newly created programming language.
Python has the vast community across the world and releases its version within the short period.
Why learn Python?
Python provides many useful features to the programmer. These features make it most popular and widely
used language. We have listed below few-essential feature of Python.
o Easy to use and Learn
o Expressive Language
o Interpreted Language
o Object-Oriented Language
o Open Source Language
o Extensible
 o Learn Standard Library
o GUI Programming Support
o Integrated
o Embeddable
o Dynamic Memory Allocation
o Wide Range of Libraries and Frameworks
Where is Python used?
Python is a general-purpose, popular programming language and it is used in almost every technical field.
The various areas of Python use are given below.
o Data Science
o Date Mining
o Desktop Applications
o Console-based Applications
o Mobile Applications
o Software Development
o Artificial Intelligence
o Web Applications
o Enterprise Applications
o 3D CAD Applications
o Machine Learning
o Computer Vision or Image Processing Applications.
o Speech Recognitions

PYTHON HISTORY AND VERSIONS

o Python laid its foundation in the late 1980s.
o The implementation of Python was started in December 1989 by Guido Van
Rossum at CWI in Netherland.
o In February 1991, Guido Van Rossum published the code (labeled version 0.9.0) to
alt.sources.
o In 1994, Python 1.0 was released with new features like lambda, map, filter, and
reduce.
o Python 2.0 added new features such as list comprehensions, garbage collection
systems.
o On December 3, 2008, Python 3.0 (also called "Py3K") was released. It was designed to
rectify the fundamental flaw of the language.
 o ABC programming language is said to be the predecessor of Python language, which
was capable of Exception Handling and interfacing with the Amoeba Operating System.
o The following programming languages influence Python:
o ABC language.
o Modula-3

Why the Name Python?

There is a fact behind choosing the name Python. Guido van Rossum was reading the script of a popular
BBC comedy series "Monty Python's Flying Circus". It was late on-air 1970s.

Van Rossum wanted to select a name which unique, sort, and little-bit mysterious. So he decided to select
naming Python after the "Monty Python's Flying Circus" for their newly created programming language.

The comedy series was creative and well random. It talks about everything. Thus it is slow and
unpredictable, which made it very interesting.

Python is also versatile and widely used in every technical field, such as Machine Learning, Artificial
Intelligence, Web Development, Mobile Application, Desktop Application, Scientific Calculation, etc.

Python Version List

Python programming language is being updated regularly with new features and supports. There are lots of
update in Python versions, started from 1994 to current release.

A list of Python versions with its released date is given below.

Python Version Released Date

Python 1.0 January 1994
Python 1.5 December 31, 1997
Python 1.6 September 5, 2000
Python 2.0 October 16, 2000
Python 2.1 April 17, 2001
Python 2.2 December 21, 2001
Python 2.3 July 29, 2003
Python 2.4 November 30, 2004
Python 2.5 September 19, 2006
Python 2.6 October 1, 2008
Python 2.7 July 3, 2010
Python 3.0 December 3, 2008
Python 3.1 June 27, 2009
Python 3.2 February 20, 2011
Python 3.3 September 29, 2012
Python 3.4 March 16, 2014
Python 3.5 September 13, 2015
Python 3.6 December 23, 2016
Python 3.7 June 27, 2018
Python 3.8 October 14, 2019