Introduction to Python

By now, if you have taken an interest in any programming language or have wanted to learn more about computer related fields, it is very likely you have come across the mention of Python. Python has now become one of the most popular programming languages because of its use in software testing, to machine related learning, and even building websites. To put it simply, Python is a general purpose language, which means it can be used for a variety of program implementations and does not have a specific program-problem reach. Due to its versatility, Python is also extremely user friendly which has made it the go-to programming language for users and developers.

What Is Python Used For?

Like most programming languages, Python is commonly used for website and software development, as well as data visualization and analysis. Python is also used to implement Task Automation, and this makes the programming language an obvious choice for not only programmers, but data analysts such as scientists, researchers, and etc. As far as Data Analysis and Machine Learning are concerned, Python provides its users with the ability to use the programming language to calculate elaborate statistical calculations. Data visualization in Python is often implemented through graphs, 3D plots and histograms, which can be accessed through the large variety of libraries that Python offers.

Web developers often employ Python to develop the back end of their applications due to its user-friendly interface and compatibility. URL Routing and sending data back and forth from servers are just some of the features web developers employ with Python. Scripting is also a large reason many non-programmers might use Python because it be used to easily write scripts to rename files, download/upload files at a specific date/time and etc. It is also important to note that this programming language is a powerful resource is software testing. Whenever developers are testing software prototypes, they can employ Python for tasks that include bug tracking, build control, and overall automated testing for new applications.

Reasons for Pythons Popularity:

  • User Friendly (Especially for beginners)
  • Versatility
  • Open Source
  • A large and active community (Solution Finding & Helpful Resources)
  • Simple Syntax

Problems with Python | Common Issues

Although Python has proven to be a very useful and favorable resource as a programming language, there are some features that users and developers alike may have issues with. One of the most common issues that arise with users that learn Python after already having knowledge with other languages is the print command. In Python, any time there is text to be printed out to the console, print is used to display output, along with results from computation, lists, coordinates, and etc. For many programmers that have knowledge is languages like C++ and Java for example, printing out text might seem very foreign in this language because there is no need for cout<< or system.out.print. Rather, the simple print feature creates simple syntax, but can be confusing for users as many fields within this feature also specify return values for calculations. This means that if a user wanted to print out a message along with calculations from variables, the syntax would be the following: print("Hello " + name) ; where name is a result from user. The + symbol would append additional text to the printed output.

Another common issue is that Python does not have very specific error messages. Certain programming language have this issue as creating clear and understandable error messages in compilers is not a simple task. Still, Python makes this feature a bit more difficult as error messages are dumped in a large clutter of text, making it hard to read and understand what went wrong where. Most of the time, instead of giving out quality error messages, the program will just return the last line of where the code was able to parse/run. This means that using breakpoints is necessary to debug a rather long block of source-text, which can be a long and arduous process for programmers.

Solve Problems with Python | Debugging

Due to the large community of its users, Python has a great Official Community Forum with different native languages to help in direct debugging and troubleshooting. The Forums page has great information on how to post a question and interact with users on the community who may have possible solutions and tips. Python also has various conferences and workshops that offer new users a way to gather together and review new and recent implementations in the programming language that can benefit each other. The Workshops page offers various global locations that support virtual or in-person gatherings, as well as subscriptions to the Python Conference Mailing Lists.

What Companies Use Python?

If you’re wondering if it’s worth learning Python for future job applications, it’s important to note that Facebook, Google, and Netflix are just some of the corporations that employ this programming language in their workspace. Whether it’d be a Developer, Data Scientist, or Software Engineer, Python is a great resource as it is a general-purpose language that is used across all industries and fields.

Learn more about Python

To learn more about Python, and how to install and get running on your personal machine, visit Python to download and get started. You can learn more about the fundamentals of Python, research specific documentation, and hear success stories and recent news on their main site. This blog will be the first of many regarding this programming language, and in future blogs we will be diving deeper into coding with the programming language. Stay tuned!