Python is used successfully in thousands of real-world business applications around the world, including many large and mission critical systems.

Here are some quotes from happy Python users

Python is fast enough for our site and allows us to produce maintainable features in record times, with a minimum of developers," said Cuong Do, Software Architect, YouTube.com.

Python plays a key role in our production pipeline. Without it a project the size of Star Wars: Episode II would have been very difficult to pull off. From crowd rendering to batch processing to compositing, Python binds all things together," said Tommy Burnette, Senior Technical Director, Industrial Light & Magic.

Python has been an important part of Google since the beginning, and remains so as the system grows and evolves. Today dozens of Google engineers use Python, and we're looking for more people with skills in this language." said Peter Norvig, director of search quality at Google, Inc.

Python usage survey and reports

The PSF (Python Software Foundation) compiled a brochure many years ago to showcase the advantages of using Python. While this brochure is useful as a quick read, there is a lot more happening with Python today.

A more updated version lists a large number of Python usage trends the industry such as;

  • Internet of Things
  • Machine Learning
  • Startups
  • Web Development
  • Fintech
  • Data Science
  • Data Engineering

The Jet Brains survey on Python is a great read. Check the video below to see the highlights of this survey.

Learn Python

Learning how to code can take on a variety of approaches. You can learn by reading a book, YouTube videos or blogs. But the most important thing is to practice.

In the section below you will come across a few concepts in Python which can be a great place to start.

Create your first Notebook

We will use Kaggle to create a Notebook where all of our code will be executed.

Data Types

# string
name = "Aryabhatta"
occupation = "Mathematician"

# an integer
age = 23

# float
weight = 64.81

# boolean
is_a_mathematican = True
can_ride_elephant = False

# list
isro_missions = ["GSLV-F10", "PSLV-C51", "PSLV-C50", "PSLV-C49"]

# dictionary
isro_mission_dates = {
'PSLV-C53' : 'Jun 30 2022',
'PSLV-C52' : 'Feb 14 2022',
'GSLV-F10' : 'Aug 12 2021',
'PSLV-C51' : 'Feb 28 2021',
'PSLV-C50' : 'Dec 17 2020'
}

just_the_isro_mission_names = isro_mission_dates.keys()  # a list of mission name
just_the_isro_mission_dates = isro_mission_dates.values() # a list of mission dates

# tuple
# can organize the basic variable types in a comma delimited manner
# and retrieve them in that order
pslv_isro_launches = ('PSLV-C53', 'PSLV-F10')
pslv_c, pslv_f = pslv_isro_launches 

# objects (classes)
# use objects when you have a lot of things with similiar data structure and actions

class SatelliteLaunch(object):
    # __init__ automatically called when creating an object
    def __init__(self, name = None):
        print(f'Creating new launcher for {name}')
        self.name = name

    def set_name(self, name):
        self.name = name

launcher = SatelliteLaunch("Chandrayan")

launcher.set_name("Chandrayan 2")
launcher.payload = "Pragyan Rover" # dynamically set object property/variable

print(f'{launcher.name} is carrying the payload of {launcher.payload}')

print("This variable is :", type(launcher))

Print

print("Hello World!")

print("Python is the #1 programming language in the world")

temperature = 23
print(f"It is {temperature} degree Celsius in Bangalore today")

Control Flows

isro_location = 'blr'

if isro_location == 'blr':
    print("You got the location right")
else:
    print("You got the location wrong")

List Comprehensions

#List comprehensions is a pythonic way of expressing a ‘for-loop’.

result = []
for i in range(10):
    if i%2 == 0:
        result.append(i)

print(result)

# this is a list comprehension. The above is not.
[i for i in range(10) if i % 2 == 0]


[i**2 for i in range(10)]

Continue Learning

FreeCodeCamp has great tutorials and you can learn Python from one of their YouTube videos.