Python (programming language)
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| Python (programming language) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Python |
| Paradigm | Multi-paradigm: object-oriented programming, imperative programming, functional programming |
| Designer | Guido van Rossum |
| First appeared | 1991 |
| Latest release | 3.x |
| Typing | Dynamic, duck typing |
| License | Python Software Foundation License |
Python (programming language) Python is a high-level, interpreted programming language created by Guido van Rossum and first released in 1991. It emphasizes readable syntax and rapid development and has become influential across industry and academia, adopted by organizations such as Google, NASA, Spotify, Dropbox and institutions including MIT and Stanford University. The language has been used in projects related to World Health Organization, European Space Agency, and the United Nations.
History
Python was conceived in the late 1980s by Guido van Rossum at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica and released in 1991 as a successor to the ABC language. Early development involved contributors from organizations including CNRI and numerous open-source contributors, with governance evolving through the Python Software Foundation and the adoption of PEPs such as PEP 8 and PEP 20. Major milestones include the transition from the 2.x series to Python 3 and wide corporate adoption by Microsoft, Amazon, IBM, Facebook, Netflix, and Red Hat.
Design and Features
Python’s design emphasizes code readability and programmer productivity, influenced by languages and figures such as ABC, Modula-3, Smalltalk, ALGOL, C, Lisp, Perl, Donald Knuth, and Niklaus Wirth. Core features include a dynamic type system, automatic memory management, first-class functions, and a standard library modeled after work by contributors from IETF, W3C, and GNU Project. The language supports multiple paradigms used by teams at NASA, CERN, Los Alamos National Laboratory and companies like Intel and NVIDIA for scientific computing and machine learning tasks.
Syntax and Semantics
Python’s syntax favors indentation and a minimalistic token set, drawing on conventions from ABC and guidance from authors such as Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie. Semantic features include reference semantics for objects, exception handling influenced by Eiffel, and an object model comparable to Smalltalk; metaprogramming facilities echo techniques from Lisp. Python’s semantics are specified through documentation and PEPs, with notable entries authored by figures like Barry Warsaw and Nick Coghlan that shaped iteration protocols, generator semantics, and coroutines used in systems developed at Facebook, Dropbox, and Instagram.
Standard Library and Ecosystem
The standard library bundles modules for networking, text processing, and data serialization, paralleling utilities from the GNU Project and standards from IETF and W3C. The ecosystem features prominent packages maintained by organizations such as the Python Software Foundation, NumFOCUS and corporations like Anaconda and Google. Scientific and numeric computing libraries include NumPy, SciPy, Pandas, and Matplotlib used in research at Harvard University, University of Cambridge, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Web frameworks such as Django and Flask are used by Mozilla, Instagram, Pinterest, and Disqus; data and ML frameworks include TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, and Keras adopted by teams at Google Brain, OpenAI, DeepMind, and Salesforce.
Implementations and Performance
The reference implementation, CPython, is written in C and maintained by a community including contributors from Microsoft and Red Hat. Alternative implementations include Jython (for JVM integration), IronPython (for .NET), PyPy (with a JIT tracer), and specialized runtimes from Google and Facebook for performance-sensitive workloads. Performance comparisons occur in environments run by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and companies like Twitter and Dropbox, influencing adoption of techniques such as native extensions in Cython and integration with CUDA from NVIDIA.
Development and Community
Python development is coordinated through the Python Software Foundation, PEP discussions involving core developers and contributors from GitHub, and governance shaped by prominent maintainers including Guido van Rossum, Barry Warsaw, Nick Coghlan, and Victor Stinner. The community organizes conferences and workshops such as PyCon, EuroPython, SciPy, and regional events in cities like Berlin, New York City, London, and Tokyo. Educational initiatives and outreach involve institutions like Code.org, Girls Who Code, and university courses at MIT, UC Berkeley, and Princeton University.
Applications and Use Cases
Python is applied in domains including web development at companies like YouTube, Reddit, Netflix, and Dropbox; scientific research at CERN, NASA, NOAA, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography; finance and trading at firms such as Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley; and in machine learning and AI at Google, OpenAI, DeepMind, and Facebook AI Research. Other uses include system administration by teams at Red Hat and Canonical, education at Khan Academy and Coursera, and embedded and automation projects in companies like Siemens and Bosch.