What is Python and how to install it

What is Python

In the “what is python” article, we explain Pyhton generally. Python is a popular, high-level programming language known for its simplicity, readability, and flexibility. It was created in the late 1980s by Guido van Rossum, a Dutch programmer who is now known as the “Benevolent Dictator for Life” of Python.

Python is an interpreted language, which means that it is not compiled into machine code and executed directly by a computer’s processor. Instead, the Python interpreter reads and executes the code, which makes it easy to write and debug. Python is also dynamically typed, meaning that you don’t need to specify the data type of a variable when you declare it. This can make your code shorter and more flexible, but it can also make it harder to understand and debug if you are not careful.

One of the main benefits of Python is its large and active community of developers. There are many libraries, frameworks, and tools available for Python that make it easy to build a wide range of applications, from simple scripts to complex web apps. Python is also well-suited for scientific computing, data analysis, and machine learning, making it a popular choice in academia and industry.

Python is a general-purpose language, which means that it can be used to build almost anything. Some common uses of Python include web development, game development, data analysis, scientific computing, and automation. It is often used as a scripting language, meaning that it can be used to automate tasks and connect different software components.

One of the main features of Python is its simplicity. Python has a straightforward syntax, with a clear and consistent style. It also has a large standard library that provides many common functions and data structures, making it easy to write code that is easy to read and understand.

Python is an object-oriented language, which means that it is based on the concept of objects and classes. An object is a data structure that represents a real-world entity, such as a car or a person. A class is a template that defines the properties and behavior of an object. In Python, you can define your own classes and objects, and use them to organize and structure your code.

Python is also a high-level language, which means that it is abstracted from the details of the computer’s hardware and operating system. This makes it easier to write code that can run on different platforms, such as Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

Python is a popular choice for beginners because it is easy to learn and use. It has a large and supportive community, with many online resources and tutorials available. There are also many third-party libraries and frameworks available that make it easy to build a wide range of applications.

However, Python is not the only programming language, and it may not be the best choice for every situation. Some people argue that Python is slow compared to other languages, and it may not be the best choice for building high-performance systems. It is also not as popular as some other languages in some industries, such as mobile app development.

Overall, Python is a powerful, versatile, and popular programming language that is well-suited for a wide range of tasks. It is easy to learn and use, and has a large and active community of developers. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced programmer, Python is a language that is worth learning.

Python features

Python is a free, open-source, and more fully expressed free programming language whose license is currently governed by the PSF Python Software Foundation. The Python license is compatible with the GPL3 license. However, it allows the programmer to produce a closed-source program.
Python is a general-purpose programming language. It can be used to develop various programs in various software fields, including developing web-based applications and applications with “graphical user interface” (GUI) capabilities.
Python is a dynamic programming language and has automatic memory management. This language has similarities with TCL, Perl, Ruby, PHP, and other dynamic programming languages. In this type of language, unlike static languages such as C++, C, and Java, there is no need to define the type of variables explicitly, and also the variable type can be changed during the program. In dynamic languages, variables do not have their own type, and the decision to assign a type is made at “RunTime.”

Unlike the C language, memory allocation and release are done automatically in Python. Python uses two methods, “Reference Counting” and “Garbage Collection,” to free memory. Don’t forget that we are talking about the CPython implementation.
Although Python is a dynamic language, it is also a strongly typed language. In these types of languages (such as Java), sudden and automatic change of data type (or object) is not done; For example, if the addition operation is done between a numeric data type such as 3 and a non-numeric data type such as “7” in Python, an Exception or TypeError exception is reported. In contrast, there are “weak typed” languages; In these languages (such as Perl), the type is automatically changed depending on the position. In this case, programming languages have different behaviors. As an example, the result of the expression “7” + 3 in Perl language is calculated by automatically converting the non-numeric data type “7” to the number (7), the value 10.

Python is a multi-paradigm programming language and does not force the programmer to follow a specific pattern. This language supports imperative or procedural, functional, and object-oriented patterns; Of course, as it was said, Python cannot be regarded as purely belonging to any of these patterns.

Apart from supporting the object-oriented programming model, Python’s structure is completely object-oriented, and everything in this language is an object; We will talk more about this in the future.

Python (CPython implementation) is known as an interpreted language. With a general definition, in these types of languages, the job of reading the source code of the program, translating it into machine language, and finally executing it is done by an interpreter. In Python, the act of translating and executing the source code can be summarized in two consecutive steps:

1- Compile source code to ByteCode

2- Bytecode interpretation in machine language and its execution

In this way, first, the program’s source code is translated into an intermediate language close to the machine language called bytecode. Then the resulting bytecode is sent to the virtual machine (as the Python runtime engine) and is interpreted and executed by it.

Python performance

Usually, when faced with learning Python, people will have concerns about the performance of programs developed with this language, especially when compared to Java; however, Python is an interpreted language and is slower in execution than compiled languages like C and Java will have.

Usually, high efficiency is equal to high speed, but it is not correct to judge efficiency so easily! In any project, we have to choose depending on what we want. If the basis of performance for a project is high execution speed (such as system programs), C language is always the best choice. Still, Python is the right choice if the basis is high development speed and saving resources, including cost. Sometimes, the best performance is obtained by using a combination of different languages.

In many applications, the speed of Python is quite acceptable, the presence of bytecode increases the speed of subsequent program executions, and there are many programming tips to improve the speed of execution in Python, which will be mentioned gradually in this course.

It should not be forgotten that one of the most important factors of efficiency is having an optimal algorithm, and of course, writing modules in C language also significantly increases the efficiency of Python. Python is slow if it is used incorrectly. However, in the normal case, if there are a thousand cases that Python is the best choice for them, speed will not be one of them, and you have to use other languages to develop programs where execution speed plays a very decisive role.

It is necessary to note that all these talks are about the implementation of CPython from the Python language, and other implementations from the Python language have been developed with the aim of high execution speed (such as PyPy).

How to install Python

To install Python on a Windows computer, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Python website (https://www.python.org/) and click the “Download” button.
2. Click on the “Latest Python 3 Release – Python 3.x.y” link to download the latest version of Python 3.x.y. At the time of writing, the latest version is Python 3.10.
3. Once the download is complete, double-click the Python installer file to start the installation process.
4. Click the “Install Now” button to begin the installation.
5. Wait for the installation to complete. It may take a few minutes.
6. When the installation is complete, click the “Close” button to close the installer.
7. To verify that Python is installed and available, open a command prompt by clicking the Start button, typing “cmd”, and pressing Enter.
8. In the command prompt, type “python” and press Enter. If Python is installed and added to your path, you will see the Python interpreter prompt, which looks like this:

Python 3.x.y (default, Jan  1 2020, 00:00:00)
[GCC 8.2.0]
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>>

9. To exit the Python interpreter, type “exit()” and press Enter.

That’s it! You have successfully installed Python on your Windows computer. You can now use Python to write and run programs and use third-party libraries and frameworks to build a wide range of applications.