Getting Started With Python Programming - What you need to know.

Python is a general purpose programming language developed by a Dutch programmer Guido Van Rossum, and have been in existence since 1991.

It is a very friendly language, and so a good choice for those looking out to kick off their programming career.

What can you do with python?

• Web development
• Desktop application development
• Data science (data visualization and machine learning)

Python IDEs:

IDE which stands for Integrated Development Environment is an interface where programmers can write and execute their codes. 
Python IDEs include but not limited to: Jupyter, Atom, Pycharm, Thonny, IDLE, Spyder, Pydev and Pydroid.

Python frameworks and their uses

• Django - used for web development
• Flask - also used for web development
• Cherrypy - for web applications
• Web2py - for web applications
• Turbogears - for web applications
• CubicWeb - for web applications

Python libraries

These mostly come already embedded in python IDEs and requires no special installation. Listed below are some python libraries.

• Tkinter - for desktop applications development
• Pytorch - used for machine leaning
• Pandas - used for data analysis
• Numpy - used for scientific computing

Click here for more python libraries and their uses.

Why choose python:

• ARuns across many operating systems including windows, mac, linux and android. 
• It is very easy to learn compared to many other programming languages
• It has a lot of frameworks
• Used in various fields like web development, desktop applications development, Data Science, Game development etc.
• Its syntax allows programmers to write programs in fewer lines unlike many other programming languages. 

Versions of python

Presently at the time of 

writing this article python has two main versions: python 2 and python 3. Python 3 which came into existence in late 2008 has more advanced features than the older version python 2 which is no longer in development.  Some advantages of python 3 over python 2 are listed below.

• It can be combined with other languages 
• It supports newer technologies like Data science and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Easier to learn compared to python 2 series

Note: For our python tutorials in this site we will be using python 3.

Getting started with python