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Python is a portable, interpreted, object-oriented programming
language that contains influences from a variety of other languages,
most notably, ABC, C, Modula-3 and Icon. With an elegant syntax and
powerful high-level data types it is easy to learn and ideal for CGI
scripts, systems administration, and many other extension and
integration tasks. More importantly, its support for rapid
prototyping and object-oriented programming make it a valuable tool
for serious software engineering and product development.
The small, but not over simplified, core language provides the usual
basic data types and flow control statements along with higher-level
types such as strings, lists, tuples, and associative arrays.
Object- oriented programming is supported by a class mechanism with
a multiple inheritance model, and exception handling is provided
using the familiar try/catch paradigm.
The real power of Python, however, lies in its extensibility. The
language can be extended by writing modules in either Python itself,
or compiled languages such as C and C++. These modules can define
variables, methods, new data types and their methods, or simply
provide a link to existing code libraries. It is also possible to
embed the Python interpreter in another application for use as an
extension language. The standard Python library includes modules for
a wide range of tasks, from debuggers and profilers to Internet/Web
services, and graphical user interfaces. In fact, if you need it,
it is probably already there!
Python runs under many environments including most flavours of Unix,
Windows 3.x, Windows 95 and NT, Macintosh, and OS/2. It is freely
copyable and can be used without fee in commercial products. More
information (including the source code) can be obtained from
http://www.python.org/.
Next: 1.3 Why Another IDL
Up: 1. Introduction
Previous: 1.1 What is Fnorb?
http://www.fnorb.com/
March 2000