.svg)
.png)
Python software development is more popular now than ever before. Some people are saying that Python is the future of software development. Only time will tell. For now, we know that Python is the future of software development. Only time will tell. For now, we know that it is a powerful tool that can be used by developers to make incredible projects.
In this article, we will go over what Python is and explain what you can do with it. In addition, we will shed light on why Python is used for machine learning and big data applications. We will also go over companies that use python and some good projects built with it.
What is Python?
Python is a high-level programming language. It is interpreted, object-oriented, and has dynamic semantics. Many startups and SMEs opt to use Python because it allows small teams of developers to handle a wide range of tasks.
Python has high-level built-in data structures as well as dynamic typing and dynamic binding. This allows for the insertion of values into the program and is often used by programmers for Rapid Application Development and scripting or as a language to connect different components together.
When Python was founded?
The Python programming language was first formulated in the late 1980s. Its implementation began in December 1989 by Guido van Rossum who was working for CWI in the Netherlands at the time.
Rossum was inspired to call the language “Python” after reading the scripts of the British television show Monty Python’s Flying Circus to reflect one of Python’s important goals: keeping it fun to use.
In February 1991, Rossum published Python’s code (tagged version 0.9.0) to alt.sources. Python released version 1.0 in January of 1994. Version 2.0 was released in October of 2000 and Python 3.0 (the current version, also referred to as "Py3K" or "Python 3000") was released on December 3, 2008.
Why is Python so popular?
In the business world, Python is generally known as the best choice to handle any requirements, due to how quickly it can be used to solve problems. It presents a whole host of benefits, like being a “flexible” programming language that doesn’t require a large team to build prototypes and MVPs.
This language has a simple (and easy to learn) syntax that is easy to read, which lowers maintenance costs over time. Python is both efficient and versatile, meaning that less code is required to provide a solution, and there are a broad number of problems it can be used for. Additionally, developers can easily understand the code written by other programmers. This means that the communication between them is improved as well as the overall efficiency!
Python is also free to use. The Python interpreter and standard library are available (in binary or source form) for free.
Finally, Python allows for easy integrations with other languages. Python supports packages and modules. This promotes program modularity and code reuse.
It is the fastest-growing programming language in the world, and is expected to become the most popular in the next few years.
What can you do with Python?
It’s incredible what you can do with Python. Here are a few examples of what it is capable of.
Web-development
The Python language is a popular choice for writing the server part of web applications and sites (the “backend”). Aside from being easier for new developers to pick up, the main benefit that Python provides is the ecosystem of frameworks and third-party libraries that allow developers to utilize it on a wide variety of projects.
Data analysis and artificial intelligence
Apart from the usual web and scripting applications, Python also shines at the scientific stage. The language is very strong in complicated and scientific use cases such as for neural networks, machine learning, and data analysis.
And more
Python is also well suited for testing, robotics, automation, IoT, and entertainment applications.
Why is Python used for web development?
Perhaps the most common use of Python is in web development. This occurs for 3 major reasons.
Clean syntax assists with project management
Clean syntax makes it easier for new developers to enter an ongoing project. Many other languages have a more complex structure that makes it prohibitively time-consuming to reallocate developers onto a project that has already begun. This is not the case with Python.
Web development specific frameworks
As we mentioned before, Python’s vast repository of third-party libraries makes prototyping faster and easier. Frameworks such as Django and Pyramid are tailored specifically for web apps and greatly improve development speed and help keep projects maintainable.
Easy debugging
Python is an interpreted language and that makes it possible to debug the code directly in the production or test environment. This is a huge asset when a bug is difficult to reproduce locally.
Why is Python used for machine learning?
Although there’s no best language for machine learning, data has shown that machine learning scientists studying sentiment analysis tend to use Python. Why is this?
Areas that are less enterprise-focused still find Python to be an easier and faster language for building high performing algorithms. This is due to the availability of highly specialized libraries including Keras, TensorFlow, and Scikit-learn. These libraries are perfect for use cases like natural language processing (NLP) and sentiment analysis.
Why is Python used for Big Data?
Python software development is the go-to choice for big data applications. Here are some of the reasons why.
Interoperability
Developers can integrate Python seamlessly with other programming languages for big data. This interoperability assists in building big data applications by utilizing the language features of multiple programming languages.
Library support
With Python, you can take advantage of specific libraries to simplify big data application development endeavors such as using high-level data structures, applying mathematical operations on entire datasets, and implementing machine learning algorithms.
Maintainable codebase
Python emphasizes code reusability and readability. Its syntax rules let programmers express concepts through the writing of clean and concise code. Python’s clearly defined codebase makes it simpler for developers to update and maintain big data applications.
Data visualization tools
Big data projects require robust tools to detect patterns, trends, and correlation via analyzing large datasets in a visual way. Python offers a number of robust data visualization libraries such as Matplotlib, Seaborn, Bokeh, and Altair.
Companies that use Python
Many internationally renowned companies utilize the Python programming language including:
- Spotify
- Quora
- Netflix
- Dropbox
It isn’t just traditional tech companies that use Python. The special effects company founded by George Lucas to create the special effects for Star Wars, Industrial Light and Magic, is a company that uses Python too!
What are some good Python projects?
Build a virtual assistant
Did you know it’s possible to build your own virtual assistant using Python? A virtual assistant is an app that understands voice commands and can complete tasks for the user. It’s even possible to build a virtual assistant with very little initial programming skills with free online courses.
Create a game
You can use Python to create your own game. Doing so is a great way to learn coding logic, and familiarize yourself with Python. For instructions on how to create a simple rock-paper-scissors style game check out Udemy.com.
Make a crypto app
There are tons of ways to utilize Python and Crypto. One way is to create an app that tracks crypto assets. It will allow you to see the total value of all your selected crypto assets and provide detailed information on each one. You can even color-code the values based on positive or negative returns.
Python provides numerous advantages to developers using it, and therefore to startups and SMEs willing to build a product in Python. It is dynamically typed and interpreted, easy to debug, uses a clear syntax, has a vast library of third-party libraries that may be used on any variety of projects, and presents great frameworks for web development. Many developers, including our Python specialists, admit that the built-in library structures make it a good choice for everything from causal scripting for web development to scientific research.
If you’re still not sure whether Python should be your choice for a project, get in touch with us.
