“Columnist Evelyn Mitchell gives an introduction to Python, a
unique, open-source scripting language popular with many Linux
coders. Once you have glimpsed the power and simplicity of Python,
you may never go back. Evelyn compares Python with Perl, Java, and
Tcl, illustrating differences along the way with explicit code
segments.”
“Python is the other scripting language that starts with “P”. It
was named for Monty Python, the comedy troupe, and references to
their skits and films (most commonly to “Spam”) appear frequently
in Python programs. Highly popular with Linux users and in the
open source community in general, Python has a number of advantages
over other languages like Java and Perl, some of which we will
cover in this article….“
“Python is not the perfect language for every programming task.
For example, it is not suited to system-level programs, like device
drivers and kernels, because it is too high level to give tight
control over memory allocation and other low-level tasks. Also,
because it is relatively slower than C and other compiled
languages, Python is not well suited to computationally intensive
applications, though it can be used as a framework or glue language
around such applications.”