Python is a high-level, interpreted programming language that is known for its simplicity and readability. It was created by Guido van Rossum and first released in 1991. Python is widely used for web development, scientific computing, data analysis, artificial intelligence, and more.
Python uses indentation to define code blocks, making it easy to read and understand. Here is an example of a simple Python program that prints "Hello, World!":
print("Hello, World!")
Python is dynamically typed, which means that you don't have to declare variable types explicitly. Here is an example of variable assignment in Python:
x = 5
Python has a large standard library that provides support for many common tasks, such as working with files, networking, and data processing. Additionally, Python has a vibrant community that contributes to a wide range of third-party libraries and frameworks.
Python can be run on any operating system, and it is often pre-installed on Linux and macOS systems. For Windows users, Python can be downloaded and installed from the official website.
Developers can write Python code in any text editor, but there are also specialized Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) available, such as PyCharm, Visual Studio Code, and Jupyter Notebook, that provide features like code completion, debugging, and project management.
Python code is executed by the Python interpreter, which can be accessed from the command line by running the python command. Additionally, there are tools like pip for managing Python packages and virtualenv for creating isolated Python environments for projects.