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Workshop Introduction

What is Python?

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Python is one of the most popular programming languages in the world. It’s a beginner-friendly language due to its simpler syntax and high-level data structures, among many other reasons. Python is also a general-purpose programming language, meaning that it can be used to create a wide variety of tools and applications.

History of Python

Python was created in the Netherlands in the early 90s by Guido van Rossum. It was created to be the successor to the ABC programming language, a language that Guido von Rossum helped develop. He continued working on Python until mid-2018, when he decided to step down from being the “benevolent dictator for life” (a title given to him by the Python community). In early 2019, an election was held where core Python developers would vote for key figures to be part of the Python steering council.

Timeline

  • Python 0.9 (initial release) - February 1991
  • Python 1.0 - January 1994
  • Python 2.0 - October 2000
  • Python 3.0 - December 2008
  • Python 3.11 (latest release at the time of writing) - October 2022

It might be a surprise, but Python 2 is still used in some areas of work! Python 3 was the first version to stop supporting backwards compatibility, so many companies decided to stick to Python 2 rather than adopt the new Python 3.

Applications of Python

Python is used in many fields. Below is a list of just a few of them:

  • Web Development
  • Data Science
  • Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
  • Database Programming
  • Embedded Scripting
  • Image Processing
  • Web Scraping

What’s an IDE?

There is nothing special separating a .txt file from a .py (Python) file. Due to this, you can write Python files in any text editing software.

There are special text editing softwares that provide an enhanced programming environment. They’re called Integrated Development Environments (IDE). An IDE provides a multitude of features that speed up the programming process.

A Python IDE is an IDE that supports the development of Python files and programs.

Common Features

  • Syntax highlighting
  • File explorers
  • Autocomplete
  • Automatic formatting
  • Debugging tools
  • Runtime environment

Examples

Some Python IDEs include, but are not limited to:

  • PyCharm
  • Spyder
  • Sublime Text
  • Microsoft Visual Studio Code (VS Code)
  • Jupyter Notebook