It is always a difficult task to decide which programming language to start learning, and it is essential to get ahead and know what each of them offers us, so as not to discover half way through the learning that this particular language it is not the right one for you, personally or professionally.
On this occasion, we are going to see what qualities and advantages Python has, so that you know if it is convenient to learn Python 3.
A brief history about Python
The Dutch Guido van Rossum is the creator of Python, launched in the early 90s. Since then, popularization has been so great that it is one of the 5 most widely used languages today. Its name comes from Guido’s admiration for the Monty Python comic group.
It is inspired by the best of others, and they have made Python one of the cleanest and most readable languages, making advanced tasks, such as Machine Learning, easier for programmers working with it. Currently, the most recent version of the language is Python 3.8.2.
Python features
Once we know where Python comes from, let’s get down to business to see if it convinces you to start with it:
- It is an interpreted language, this means that it runs in real time on any platform that has an interpreter, which is a great advantage when we want to make small modifications to an application and we do not have to recompile everything every time we make a change allowing the code to be more effective when programming.
- The only negative aspect in the interpretation is efficiency, since it is not compiled, Python must be translated into machine code with each execution, making both Python and other interpreters slower in execution.
- Python is a high-level language, this means that it is made so that humans understand it without any difficulty. Another great advantage is that, if we want, we can work with bits and bytes in Python as if it were half level.
- It is multi-paradigm, we can create more than one program with more than one different development style. Python allows us to use modular, structured, object-oriented programming, among others, depending on what is most efficient to create our program.
- It is free, therefore we have the source code available to know it and study it thoroughly. Also, Python has a great community behind it for any help we need, apart from some really good documentation available for free in platforms such as Github or StackOverflow.
Python Advantages
Now that we know some of the most important qualities of Python, we are going to see some advantages that can be decisive for you to decide to start with Python:
- Python is easy to learn. Its learning curve is quite adequate, with the appropriate combination of motivation and attention you can create a program without prior knowledge.
- As we discussed at the beginning of the article, Python emphasizes its cleanliness and readability. To demonstrate this we leave you 2 examples that show Hello World on the screen. The first example is written in C ++, and the second in Python.
1. “Hello World” on C++:
<include conio.h>
<include stdio.h>
int main(){
printf(“Hello World”);
getch();
}
2. “Hello World” on Python:
print(“Hello World”)
As you can see, Python is cleaner and more readable than C ++ to create a typical “Hello World“
- With Python we can create programs for different devices and platforms. We will write desktop programs for Mac, Linux and Windows. You can also develop all kinds of applications for Android, desktop, games or web pages. For Python system administrators it can be a great option to develop scripts that help automate tasks.
- Python is in the top 5 of the most used programming languages and its use and labour demand are increasing as the days pass by. Learning Python will ensure you a future job that you should not miss. Millions of people can’t go wrong programming with Python.
Conclusion
It is so practical, simple and powerful that it is certainly a great option to choose from. Big companies and organisations like NASA, Google, Amazon use Python in their daily functions. Its learning is easy for all audiences, irrespective of age and background.
Python is ideal for anyone who wants to go into development without a clear idea of what they want to do, and without any prior knowledge of it.
