Chapter 1. About Python
This chapter covers
- Why use Python?
- What Python does well
- What Python doesn’t do as well
- Why learn Python 3?
Read this chapter if you want to know how Python compares to other languages and its place in the grand scheme of things. Skip ahead—go straight to chapter 3—if you want to start learning Python right away. The information in this chapter is a valid part of this book—but it’s certainly not necessary for programming with Python.
Hundreds of programming languages are available today, from mature languages like C and C++, to newer entries like Ruby, C#, and Lua, to enterprise juggernauts like Java. Choosing a language to learn is difficult. Although no one language is the right choice for every possible situation, I think that Python is a good choice for a large number of programming problems, and it’s also a good choice if you’re learning to program. Hundreds of thousands of programmers around the world use Python, and the number grows every year.