Beginning Programming with Python For Dummies

Quick! Which programming language will get you up and running writ- ing applications on every popular platform around? Give up? Yes, it’s Python. The amazing thing about Python is that you really can write an appli- cation on one platform and use it on every other platform that you need to support. Unlike the other programming languages that promised to provide platform independence, Python really does make that independence pos- sible. In this case, the promise is as good as the result you get.
Python emphasizes code readability and a concise syntax that lets you write applications using fewer lines of code than other programming languages require. In addition, because of the way Python works, you find it used in all sorts of fields that are filled with nonprogrammers. Some people view Python
as a scripted language, but it really is so much more. (Chapter 18 provides you with just an inkling of the occupations that rely on Python to make things work.)