10 Questions
What is the primary emphasis of Python's design philosophy?
Code readability
What type of programming language is Python?
Dynamically typed
What is the significance of Python being a 'batteries included' language?
It has a comprehensive standard library
Who is the inventor of Python?
Guido van Rossum
What is the title bestowed upon Guido van Rossum by the Python community?
Benevolent dictator for life
What was the initial end-of-life set 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 included in Python 3 releases?
To automate the translation of Python 2 code to Python 3
What was the main reason for postponing the end-of-life of Python 2.7 from 2015 to 2020?
Out of concern that a large body of existing code could not easily be forward-ported to Python 3
What is a notable change in Python 3.11 compared to Python 3.10?
Improved error reporting and increased program execution speed
Study Notes
General-purpose Programming Language
- Python is a high-level, general-purpose programming language that emphasizes code readability with significant indentation.
- It is dynamically typed and garbage-collected, supporting multiple programming paradigms, including structured, object-oriented, and functional programming.
- Python is often described as a "batteries included" language due to its comprehensive standard library.
History
- Python was invented by Guido van Rossum in the late 1980s as a successor to the ABC programming language.
- Guido van Rossum began working on Python in 1989 and first released it in 1991 as Python 0.9.0.
- Python 2.0 was released in 2000, and Python 3.0, released in 2008, was a major revision not completely backward-compatible with earlier versions.
Releases
- Python 2.7.18, released in 2020, was the last release of Python 2.
- Python 3.8 and later are currently supported (as of 2023).
- Security issues were fixed in Python 3.7.17, the final 3.7.x release.
- Python 3.10.4, 3.9.12, and 3.8.13 were expedited in 2022 due to security issues.
- Python 3.9.13, released in May 2022, marked the end of non-security updates for the 3.9 series.
Current Status
- As of October 2023, Python 3.12 is the stable release, and 3.12 and 3.11 are the only versions with active support.
- Notable changes in Python 3.11 include increased program execution speed and improved error reporting.
- Python 3.12 adds syntax to the language, including the new (soft) keyword type and improvements to typing support.
Learn about the features and history of Python, a high-level, general-purpose programming language that emphasizes code readability.
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