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| -rw-r--r-- | Misc/BLURB | 70 |
1 files changed, 27 insertions, 43 deletions
@@ -1,45 +1,29 @@ -What is Python? ---------------- +What is Python? Executive Summary +---------------------------------- -Python is an interpreted, interactive, object-oriented programming -language. It incorporates modules, exceptions, dynamic typing, very -high level dynamic data types, and classes. Python combines -remarkable power with very clear syntax. It has interfaces to many -system calls and libraries, as well as to various window systems, and -is extensible in C or C++. It is also usable as an extension language -for applications that need a programmable interface. Finally, Python -is portable: it runs on many brands of UNIX, on the Mac, and on -MS-DOS. +Python is an interpreted, object-oriented, high-level programming +language with dynamic semantics. Its high-level built in data +structures, combined with dynamic typing and dynamic binding, make it +very attractive for Rapid Application Development, as well as for use +as a scripting or glue language to connect existing components +together. Python's simple, easy to learn syntax emphasizes +readability and therefore reduces the cost of program maintenance. +Python supports modules and packages, which encourages program +modularity and code reuse. The Python interpreter and the extensive +standard library are available in source or binary form without charge +for all major platforms, and can be freely distributed. -As a short example of what Python looks like, here's a script to -print prime numbers (not blazingly fast, but readable!). When this -file is made executable, it is callable directly from the UNIX shell -(if your system supports #! in scripts and the python interpreter is -installed at the indicated place). - -#!/usr/local/bin/python - -# Print prime numbers in a given range - -def main(): - import sys - min, max = 2, 0x7fffffff - if sys.argv[1:]: - min = int(eval(sys.argv[1])) - if sys.argv[2:]: - max = int(eval(sys.argv[2])) - primes(min, max) - -def primes(min, max): - if 2 >= min: print 2 - primes = [2] - i = 3 - while i <= max: - for p in primes: - if i%p == 0 or p*p > i: break - if i%p <> 0: - primes.append(i) - if i >= min: print i - i = i+2 - -main() +Often, programmers fall in love with Python because of the increased +productivity it provides. Since there is no compilation step, the +edit-test-debug cycle is incredibly fast. Debugging Python programs is +easy: a bug or bad input will never cause a segmentation +fault. Instead, when the interpreter discovers an error, it raises an +exception. When the program doesn't catch the exception, the +interpreter prints a stack trace. A source level debugger allows +inspection of local and global variables, evaluation of arbitrary +expressions, setting breakpoints, stepping through the code a line at +a time, and so on. The debugger is written in Python itself, +testifying to Python's introspective power. On the other hand, often +the quickest way to debug a program is to add a few print statements +to the source: the fast edit-test-debug cycle makes this simple +approach very effective. |