It is an inevitable moment for every aspiring programmer that he should learn a programming language the moment he masters the basics of logic formulation. The ultimate expression of one’s logical thoughts is by putting them on code, an act of translating to the computer what the programmer wishes it to do. Many programming languages exist just like how there are hundreds of languages present in our society, but each one communicates in an intimate level to a computer in ways we cannot possibly imagine.
Many academic institutions introduce programming languages to novice programmers along the time when they are just starting out on their education. Basic concepts such as flowcharting or pseudocoding come to mind during these times, and students are often overwhelmed by delusions of building programs that can be the next big thing in the world of IT such as programs that can answer voice mail or a telephone, for instance.
Python: Pseudocode made real
The language of Python is a fairly recent development that programmers made as a close relation to pseudocoding, as the two are almost similar in the way they are constructed. This has made the language a very viable one to teach alongside the basics of programming as novice programmers can easily follow and translate their basic logic blocks into actual working code without being overwhelmed by the language itself. The other mature languages tend to be complicated in creating simple fragments of code and more often than not students find themselves researching more on the language’s syntax than figuring out why their programs went wrong.
Take a scenario where you wish to let the program display a message – the classic “Hello World” application that many programmers know and love. Most programming languages would require you to import libraries and design functions and methods before such a feat can be achieved. You would argue that, “But I only wanted the program to print a single line! Why would I need five or six lines to do that?” In Python, one only need to type in a single line of code (print “Hello World!”) and the program would immediately take care of things for you!
Simplicity and Elegance
As mentioned earlier, Python bears strong resemblances to actual pseudocoding. This is why they can guess how to code in Python just by looking at the pseudocode that they have devised. It helps a lot that Python boasts a powerful dynamic interface that sort of acts as a translator between the programmer and the computer itself. With this interface you can code on the go while Python keeps a regular check if your program is working as intended or encounters an error. Type in “5+1” on the line and Python immediately answers with 6!
For Beginners and Experts Alike
While many programming professors have found enjoyment in imparting the basics of programming through Python, many experts around the world have also found an epiphany in revisiting this simple yet powerful language. Indeed, a lot of applications have sprung in the IT universe that has been built on this language. Even the Internet boasts websites with Python on its helm. One could even think that the future of programming and development lies in simple languages such as Python!