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Python
Joseph Eckstrom, Benjamin Moore, Willis
Kornegay
Overview
• Written to improve programmer productivity
• Python gives programmers the option to use objectoriented, structured or functional programming
paradigms.
• Trades some speed for productivity
• In era of fast machines, acceptable
History
• Written at CWI, Netherlands, by Guido van Rossum
• Named BDFL, or “Benevolent Dictator for Life” by
Python community
• Based on ABC, but ABC had drawbacks
• Monolithic design not adaptable
• Could not access file system or O.S.
Evolution
• Python 1.0
• Classes, inheritance, functional programming
• Python 2.0
• Garbage collection, list comprehensions, Haskell-like
syntax
• Python 3.0
• Refinement of existing features, overhauls to standard
libraries
Language Concepts
• High level, interpreted language
• Supports multiple paradigms
• OO, Imperative, Functional
• No semicolons at the end of lines
• Blocks represented by indentations
Examples of Use – Lambda
Functions
>>> def make_incrementor (n): return lambda x: x + n
...
>>> f = make_incrementor(2)
>>> g = make_incrementor(6)
>>> print(f(42), g(42))
44 48
>>> print(make_incrementor(22)(23))
45
Examples of Use – Lists
>>> S = [x**2 for x in range(10)]
>>> V = [2**i for i in range(13)]
>>> M = [x for x in S if x % 2 ==0]
>>> print(S); print(V); print(M)
[0, 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81]
[1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 4096]
[0, 4, 16, 36, 64]
Examples of Use – Classes
>>> class MyClass:
...
# A simple example class
…
i = 12345
…
def f(self):
…
return “Hello, world.”
…
>>> x = Myclass()
>>> x.f()
Hello, world.
Comparison - Ruby
• Both imperative/functional, object oriented, &
interpreted
• Python emphasizes a single best way, and
features extensive standard libraries
• Ruby emphasizes elegant syntax & greater
object-orientation
Comparison – C++
• Both object-oriented, imperative languages
• C++ compiled to hardware native code; Python
compiled to bytecode, executed by VM
• Both languages are flexible in terms of objectorientation.