10 Questions
When was Python 3.0 released?
December 2008
What was the original end-of-life date for Python 2.7?
2015
Which Python versions are currently supported as of 2023?
3.8 and later
What is the purpose of the 2to3 utility?
Translate Python 2 code to Python 3
What new feature was added in Python 3.12?
Syntax for a new (soft) keyword type
What is the primary design philosophy of Python?
Code readability
What type of programming paradigms does Python support?
Multiple programming paradigms, including structured, object-oriented, and functional programming
What was the inspiration for the ABC programming language?
SETL
What was the significance of the Python 3.0 release?
It was a major revision, not completely backward-compatible with earlier versions
What was Guido van Rossum's title in the Python community?
Benevolent Dictator for Life
Study Notes
General Characteristics
- Python is a high-level, general-purpose programming language.
- It emphasizes code readability with significant indentation.
- Python is dynamically typed and garbage-collected.
- It supports multiple programming paradigms, including structured, object-oriented, and functional programming.
History
- Guido van Rossum began working on Python in the late 1980s as a successor to the ABC programming language.
- Python 0.9.0 was first released in 1991.
- Python 2.0 was released in 2000, featuring list comprehensions, cycle-detecting garbage collection, reference counting, and Unicode support.
- Python 3.0 was released in 2008, with many major new features, but not completely backward-compatible with earlier versions.
- Python 2.7.18 was the last release of Python 2, released in 2020.
- Guido van Rossum stepped down as the lead developer in 2018, and a five-member Steering Council was elected to lead the project in 2019.
Releases and Support
- Only Python 3.8 and later versions are currently supported (as of 2023).
- Python 2.7 and older versions are officially unsupported, but PyPy continues to support Python 2 with backported security updates.
- Security updates were expedited in 2021, 2022, and 2023 due to security issues.
- As of October 2023, Python 3.12 is the stable release, with active support, and Python 3.11 and 3.12 are the only versions with active support.
Notable Changes
- Python 3.10 added increased program execution speed and improved error reporting.
- Python 3.11 added syntax for exception handling.
- Python 3.12 added syntax for the new (soft) keyword type, among other changes.
Learn about Python, a high-level, general-purpose programming language that emphasizes code readability and supports multiple programming paradigms.
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