Chapter 3
Python Elements and Syntax
IN THIS CHAPTER
Understanding the Zen of Python
Introducing object-oriented programming
Discovering why indentations are important
Using Python modules
Many programming languages focus on things that the computer does and how it does them rather than on the way humans think and work. This one simple fact makes most programming languages difficult for most people to learn. Python, however, is based on the philosophy that a programming language should be geared more toward how humans think, work, and communicate than what happens inside the computer. The Zen of Python is the perfect example of that human orientation, so we start this chapter with that topic.
The Zen of Python
The Zen of Python, shown in Figure 3-1, is a list of the guiding principles for the design of the Python language. These principles are hidden in an Easter egg, which is a term for something in a programming language or an app that's not easy to find and that's an inside joke to people who have learned enough of the language or app to be able to find the Easter egg. To get ...
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