Python is an object-oriented programming language that is imperative and interpreted (Python code is read loop by loop thanks to an interpreter program). This multi-paradigm language is open source; it was created 29 years ago by Guido van Rossum.
In this article we are going to explain why Python is so well known and why it is said to be easy to learn.
The programming language’s popularity
Python is used by several of the web’s giants. Amazon, Google, Facebook and Instagram, but also Netflix, Spotify and Uber, use
Python in their back end.
Python is known for making programming simpler and more intuitive. It has quickly taken on a major role in many fields such as automation, big data, machine learning and the development of software and applications.
According to PYPL (PopularitY of Programming Language), Python has managed, since 2018, to climb to the top of the ranking of the most widely used programming languages. The language is showing strong, rapid progress that places it ahead of Java and C#.
The advantages behind this popularity
Python aims to be less restrictive, for faster development. It was designed with the aim of optimising developers’ productivity thanks to a code syntax that is simple to use.
What’s more, the language runs on any type of operating system, whether Linux, Mac, Windows or even Raspberry Pi (the “Pi”, incidentally, stands for Python, the board’s default language). This saves time, since there is no need to adapt your code to different systems.
But also a few drawbacks
Python is an interpreted programming language. This results in longer loading times than with a native programming language. That is something to take into account if execution speed is an important aspect of the project.
In addition, Python’s syntactic style (as explained below) can cause problems when the code is executed. Indeed, if the code is poorly written or if you have made a mistake with the indentation, the language may misinterpret the meaning of the variables and will therefore return an error.
The programming language’s simplicity
Python is therefore simple to use, but also simple to learn, particularly when you are a beginner. Its syntax resembles spoken language, which makes it easier to learn. There is no need to worry about adding braces, brackets or commas — correct indentation will suffice.
What’s more, Python is able to work out for itself whether what is written corresponds to a variable of type string, boolean or array, without your having specified it.
A very active community
Python is a programming language that benefits from a very large, active community. That is an advantage, because we can see that many developers have shared the code of their modules on PyPI (the Python Package Index, the library that lists all the free Python modules created by other developers).
Python also has a vast scientific community that uses the language. These communities develop projects that help it grow. Among them are NumPy, an extension for manipulating multi-dimensional arrays or matrices; SciPy, a working environment that brings together and unifies the language’s libraries; and Scikit-learn, the library focused on machine learning. Some of these projects are supported by French research institutions such as Inria and Télécom Paris.
An active community can often help. The developers around a programming language can provide valuable answers to some people’s questions or sticking points.
A few good practices worth knowing with Python
Python’s built-in functions
Python benefits from numerous resources made available to developers. So don’t hesitate to look at the standard library and the built-in functions page as often as possible. Indeed, most of the routine tasks you are going to need are already ready to use in Python’s built-in functions!
Modules
Many modules exist that you can rely on in order to save time and gain efficiency. There is no point starting each project from scratch if an existing module does what you are trying to achieve.
Versions
For several years, developers have had the choice of using two versions of Python. It was announced that version 2 would be maintained until 2020. You therefore need to remember to migrate older projects to Python 3 and to start all new projects on the latest version.
The environment
For every new project, it is preferable to set up a Python development environment. This makes it possible to manage module versions, and it is also simpler when several developers are working on the project.
Python is a very good back-end programming language thanks to its syntax, which is close to spoken language and makes it more accessible to beginners. It is mainly used for writing scripts that automate tasks, but also in the analysis and computation of big data by the scientific community.
Don’t hesitate to read other articles on the Numendo blog.
