Python was initially built to automate a distributed operating system called Amoeba. Although the Amoeba OS is mostly forgotten, Python has found a home in automating Unix-like operating systems tasks.
Python wraps the traditional Unix C API lightly, giving full access to the system calls that run Unix while making them just a little safer to use, an approach that was dubbed “C with foam padding.” This willingness to wrap low-level operating system APIs has made it a good choice for the wide berth between the Unix shell programs and the programs ...
