EVOLUTION OF PYTHON

• 14 June 2023
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Birth (Early 1990s): Python was created by Guido van Rossum, a Dutch programmer, in the late 1980s, and its development continued into the early 1990s. It was first released to the public in 1991. This can be considered Python’s “birth” or infancy stage.

Early Childhood (1991-1994): During this phase, Python gained initial attention and started to gain popularity among early adopters. It was primarily used in academia and small-scale projects, slowly learning to crawl and take its first steps.

Adolescence (1994-2000): In this stage, Python started gaining wider recognition and acceptance within the programming community. Its simplicity, readability, and focus on code maintainability helped it stand out. The release of Python 2.0 in 2000 marked a significant milestone in its development, introducing many new features and improvements.

Adulthood (2000-2008): Python matured further during this period. Its community grew significantly, and the language continued to evolve with regular updates and enhancements. The introduction of Python 2.2 in 2001 brought garbage collection improvements and a new type hierarchy.

Full Maturity (2019-present): Python 3 eventually gained widespread adoption, and the community embraced the language’s modern version. Python’s popularity soared, driven by its versatility, extensive libraries, and its use in emerging technologies such as data science, machine learning, and web development. Python 3.8, released in 2019, introduced many new features, including assignment expressions and positional-only parameters.

VERSIONS IN PYTHON:

1. Python 1.x: The initial version of Python, with several subversions released between 1991 and 1994.
2. Python 2.x: The next major release series, which had various subversions and updates. Notable versions include Python 2.0 (released in 2000), Python 2.4 (2004), Python 2.7 (2010). Python 2.7 marked the end of the Python 2.x series, with its end-of-life announced for January 1, 2020.
3. Python 3.x: A significant and backward-incompatible release series, aimed at improving the language’s design and addressing various shortcomings. Notable versions include Python 3.0 (2008), Python 3.4 (2014), Python 3.6 (2016), Python 3.8 (2019). Python 3.9 (2020) and Python 3.10 (2021) were released after my knowledge cutoff.
4. It’s important to note that Python 2.x and Python 3.x are not fully compatible, and transitioning from Python 2 to Python 3 required adapting code and addressing differences. The Python community encouraged the adoption of Python 3.x due to its improved features and support, and Python 2.x is now considered legacy.
5. Each major version release introduced new features, syntax enhancements, performance improvements, and bug fixes, aiming to make Python more powerful and efficient. The community actively supports and maintains Python 3.x, with regular updates and improvements.

SILENT FEATURES OF PYTHON

☛ Code Quality

Python code is highly readable, which makes it more reusable and maintainable. It has broad support for advanced software engineering paradigms such as object-oriented (OO) and functional programming.

☛ Developer Productivity

Python has a clean and elegant coding style. It uses an english-like syntax and is dynamically-typed. So, you never declare a variable. A simple assignment binds a name to an object of any type. Python code is significantly smaller than the equivalent C++/Java code. It implies there is less to type, limited to debug, and fewer to maintain. Unlike compiled languages, Python programs don’t need compiling and linking, which further boosts the developer’s productivity.

☛Developer Productivity

Python has a clean and elegant coding style. It uses an english-like syntax and is dynamically-typed. So, you never declare a variable. A simple assignment binds a name to an object of any type. Python code is significantly smaller than the equivalent C++/Java code. It implies there is less to type, limited to debug, and fewer to maintain. Unlike compiled languages, Python programs don’t need compiling and linking, which further boosts the developer’s productivity.

☛ Code Portability

Since Python is an interpreted language, so the interpreter has to manage the task of portability. Also, Python’s interpreter is smart enough to execute your program on different platforms to produce the same output. So, you never need to change a line in your code.

☛ Built-In And External Libraries

Python packages a large no. of the prebuilt and portable set of libraries. You can load them as and when needed to use the desired functionality.

☛ Component Integration

Some applications require interaction across different components to support the end to end workflows. Onc such component could be a Python script while others be a program written in languages like Java/C++ or any other technology.

Python has several ways to support the cross-application communication. It allows mechanisms like loading of C and C++ libraries or vice-versa, integration with Java and DotNET components, communication using COM/Silverlight, and interfacing with USB devices over serial ports. It can even exchange data over networks using protocols like SOAP, XML-RPC, and CORBA.

☛ Free To Use, Modify And Redistribute

Python is an OSS. You are free to use it, make amends in the source code, and redistribute, even for commercial interests. It is because of such openness that Python has garnered a vast community base that is continually growing and adding value.

☛ Object-Oriented From The Core

Python primarily follows the object-oriented programming (OOP) design. OOP provides an intuitive way of structuring your code, and a solid understanding of the concepts behind it can let you make the most out of your coding. With OOP, it is easy to visualize the complex problem into smaller flows by defining objects and how they correlate. And then, we can form the actual logic to make the program work.