Python Overview

What is Python?

Python is an easy to learn, readable, and powerful programming language. It is also object-orientated, though you do not have to use its object-orientated features. The application fields of Python are similar to those of Perl (including CGI and procedures involving regular expressions), or even exceed them. Like Perl, Python may be used freely for both free and commercial software.

Python is very portable: It runs on most kinds of Unix (including Linux), OS/2, MacOS, Windows, and many more.

I've written a book, Workshop Python (German), for Addison-Wesley. Additionally, there are "slides" for several of my presentations on this site. Please start from the navigation on the left to find them.

Some Python Resources

• Python language website - For a general overview visit the Python language website.
• Python tutorial - If you want to get an impression of the "look and feel" of Python, read this tutorial. A German version (currently for Python 2.1) is at http://starship.python.net/crew/gherman/publications/tut-de/.
• Download Python - Are you curious and want to try Python yourself? Download it via the above link. (If you have a recent Linux or *BSD distribution, you have probably already a Python package included in it.)
• Python documentation - Here is the whole Python documentation, containing the tutorial, the language reference manual, the library reference manual, and more. You can also download a compressed archive from http://www.python.org/doc/current/download.html.
• Python software - Contributed Python programs and modules are available from the so-called "Vaults of Parnassus".
• Jython - Though Python supports a variety of internet related programming subjects, you may want to mix it with Sun's Java. Jython is an implementation of Python in Java. So you can even derive Java classes from Python classes and vice versa.
• Python newsgroup - If you have checked the Python FAQ and the other documentation and still have questions, please post to the friendly and helpful newsgroup comp.lang.python.