Python 101
By Evelyn Mitchell2005-04-27
Python and Perl
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If Perl is the first post-modern programming language as Larry Wall (Perl's creator) describes it, then Python can be called the first neo-classical programming language.
Both Python and Perl build on a strong understanding of the available tools for problem solving. Larry Wall used awk, sed, and shell scripting as the primary design inspirations when he started writing Perl because he was writing a language to make system administration tasks easier. Python was inspired more by object-oriented design and object-oriented tools.
Rather than striving for a maximally expressive language as Larry Wall did, Guido van Rossum (the designer of Python) chose to create a simple, powerful, elegant base for creating systems out of components. The expressive power is still there in Python, but it tends to be compartmentalized, which makes reading Python code much easier. When you need more detail on how a certain line of code works, you look at the modules and functions it is using, rather than see the full complexity on the surface.
Tutorial Pages:
» The Other Scripting Language that Starts with "P"
» Python and Perl
» Python and Tcl
» Python and Java
» Why is Python popular with Linux users?
» What is Python Bad For?
» Who uses Python?
» How to get Python
» Resources
First published by IBM DeveloperWorks
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