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June 12, 2023

What is Python?

Python is a high-level (human-readable) programming language that is processed by the Python “interpreter” to produce results. Python includes a comprehensive standard library of tested code modules that can be easily incorporated into your own programs.

Python is derived from many other languages, including C, C++, the Unix shell and other programming languages.

The basic philosophy of the Python language is readability, which makes it particularly well-suited for beginners in computer programming, and it can be summarized by these principles:

Beautiful is better than ugly.
Explicit is better than implicit.
Simple is better than complex.
Complex is better than complicated.
Readability counts.

As Python is intended to be highly readable, it uses English keywords frequently where other languages may use punctuation. Most significantly, it uses indentation to group together statements into code “blocks”, whereas other languages may use keywords or punctuation for this purpose. For example, in the Pascal programming language, blocks start with the keyword begin and end with the keyword end, and in the C programming language, blocks are enclosed within curly brackets ({ } braces).

Grouping blocks of statements by indentation is sometimes criticized by programmers familiar with languages that group by punctuation, but the use of indentation in Python certainly produces code that has an uncluttered visual layout.

Some of Python’s key distinguishing features that make it an attractive choice of language for the beginner include:

Python is free – is open source distributable software.
Python is easy to learn – has a simple language syntax.
Python is easy to read – is uncluttered by punctuation.
Python is easy to maintain – is modular for simplicity.
Python is “batteries included” – provides a large standard library for easy integration into your own programs.
Python is interactive – has a terminal for debugging and testing snippets of code.
Python is portable – runs on a wide variety of hardware platforms and has the same interface on all platforms.
Python is interpreted – there is no compilation required.
Python is high-level – has automatic memory management.
Python is extensible – allows the addition of low-level modules to the interpreter for customization.
Python is versatile – supports both procedure-orientated programming and object-orientated programming (OOP).
Python is flexible – can create console programs, windowed GUI (Graphical User Interface) applications, and CGI (Common Gateway Interface) scripts to process web data.

So, it’s ideal for the beginner coder!

Get started with Python with these In Easy Steps books:

Coding for Beginners in easy steps, 2nd edition uses Python to teach basic coding concepts. Available now from our online shop in ebook and paperback formats.