Python

Python is a versatile, high-level programming language known for its readability and simplicity. It's the go-to language for data science, machine learning, automation, and increasingly for web development.

Key Characteristics

• Readable syntax: Whitespace-significant, clean code
• Dynamic typing: With optional type hints (3.5+)
• Batteries included: Extensive standard library
• Multi-paradigm: Object-oriented, functional, procedural
• Interpreted: No compilation step (though .pyc caching exists)

Common Use Cases

Domain	Libraries/Frameworks
Web development	Django, Flask, FastAPI
Data science	pandas, NumPy, Jupyter
Machine learning	TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn
Automation	Scripting, Ansible, AWS SDK
API development	FastAPI, Django REST Framework

Modern Python (3.10+)

# Type hints
def greet(name: str) -> str:
    return f"Hello, {name}!"

# Dataclasses
from dataclasses import dataclass

@dataclass
class User:
    name: str
    email: str
    active: bool = True

# Pattern matching (3.10+)
match status_code:
    case 200:
        return "OK"
    case 404:
        return "Not Found"
    case _:
        return "Unknown"

# Async/await
async def fetch_data(url: str) -> dict:
    async with aiohttp.ClientSession() as session:
        async with session.get(url) as response:
            return await response.json()

What We Like

• Readability: Easy to learn, easy to maintain
• Versatility: From scripts to ML pipelines to web apps
• Scientific computing: Dominant in data science and AI
• Community: Vast ecosystem and helpful community
• FastAPI: Modern, fast async web framework

What We Don't Like

• Performance: Slower than compiled languages
• GIL: Global Interpreter Lock limits true parallelism
• Packaging: pip, conda, poetry - dependency management is fragmented
• Runtime errors: Dynamic typing means bugs hide until execution
• Deployment: Packaging Python apps can be complex

Best Practices

1. Use type hints: Catch errors early with mypy
2. Use virtual environments: Isolate project dependencies
3. Follow PEP 8: Standard style guide
4. Use modern Python: 3.10+ for latest features
5. Consider FastAPI: For new web APIs