Python Crash Course
Planet Labs Germany
About
Python is powerful... and fast;
plays well with others;
runs everywhere;
is friendly & easy to learn;
is Open.
These are some of the reasons people who use Python would rather not use anything else.
Powerful
Python is really helpful in so many different contexts, being also the "de facto standard" for some of them (e.g. Data Analysis, Scientific and Numeric).
Fast
Saying fast is usually the beginning of a flame, with people pointing others to benchmarks, blog posts, tweets, or whatever they found about language A faster than B. Let's say Python is fast enough for many different applications, thanks to the fact that many standard library modules and well-known third-party ones are using the best algorithm for the purpose and/or they have been implemented as native modules.
Plays good with the others...
Runs everywhere
With Python we usually mean the CPython interpreter.
Since it is written in C, it has been ported to many different platforms.
Easy to Learn
During the last years, many schools and universities have started to use Python as the primary language to teach computer programming.
Today is also very common teaching it to children using the same language.
http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1119093104.html
Hello
World!
>>> print("Hello, World!")
Hello, World!
Hello
World!
>>> print("Hello, World!")
Hello, World!
>>> print(Hello, World)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
NameError: name 'Hello' is not defined
Hello
World!
>>> print("Hello, World!")
Hello, World!
>>> print(Hello, World)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
NameError: name 'Hello' is not defined
>>> # output expected: Bonjour, tout le monde!
...
Hello
World!
>>> print("Hello, World!")
Hello, World!
>>> print(Hello, World)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
NameError: name 'Hello' is not defined
>>> # output expected: Bonjour, tout le monde!
...
>>> print("Bonjour, tout le monde!")
Bonjour, tout le monde!Hello
World!
>>> print("Hello, World!")
Hello, World!
>>> print(Hello, World)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
NameError: name 'Hello' is not defined
>>> # output expected: Bonjour, tout le monde!
...
>>> print("Bonjour, tout le monde!")
Bonjour, tout le monde!
>>> print("Bonjour", "tout le monde!")
Bonjour tout le monde!
>>> print('Bonjour', "tout le monde!")
Bonjour tout le monde!
>>>