March 2001
Intermediate to advanced
1296 pages
38h 8m
English
Content preview from Programming Python, Second EditionBecome an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
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What’s Python Good For?
Because Python is used in a wide variety of ways, it’s almost impossible to give an authoritative answer to this question. In general, any application that can benefit from the inclusion of a language optimized for speed of development is a good target Python application domain. Given the ever-shrinking schedules in software development, this a very broad category.
A more specific answer is less easy to formulate. For instance, some use Python as an embedded extension language, while others use it exclusively as a standalone programming tool. And to some extent, this entire book will answer this very question -- it explores some of Python’s most common roles. For now, here’s a summary of some of the more common ways Python is being applied today:
- System utilities
Portable command-line tools, testing systems
- Internet scripting
CGI web sites, Java applets, XML, ASP, email tools
- Graphical user interfaces
With APIs such as Tk, MFC, Gnome, KDE
- Component integration
C/C++ library front-ends, product customization
- Database access
Persistent object stores, SQL database system interfaces
- Distributed programming
With client/server APIs like CORBA, COM
- Rapid-prototyping /development
Throwaway or deliverable prototypes
- Language-based modules
Replacing special-purpose parsers with Python
- And more
Image processing, numeric programming, AI, etc.
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I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.Addison B.
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I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.