Intriguing Facts to Know before You use Python Applications!
Published: 2020-01-03 11:48:22

Python has been an industry leader for quite some time now and it is being widely used in various fields like finance, banking, big data, signal processing, and many others.

This high-level programming language (Python) has been associated with big names like NASA, Walt Disney, Reddit, Instagram, Venmo, etc. It has also been used to strengthen Google’s internal infrastructure and in building applications like YouTube.

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Besides being liked by large enterprises, Python is loved by the developers too. According to <a href="https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2019">Stack Overflow Developers' Survey 2019</a>, Python is the second "most loved" language with 73% of the developers choosing it above other languages prevailing in the market. 

All thanks to the incredible advantages that Python provides because of which it is also used for web development. Python offers multiple frameworks for web development. Some of these include,
<ul><li>Django</li>
<li>Pyramid</li>
<li>Turbogears</li>
<li>Web2py</li></ul>

You can also <a href="https://www.resourcifi.com/hire-web-developer/">hire web developer</a> that can incorporate Python benefits for creating dynamic web apps for your business needs.

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<i>Facts that will drive you crazy!</i>
So, in this blog, I have listed some interesting facts that will surely arouse your curiosity in Python. Let's read further to know more about these.

<b>Python was a hobby project</b>

You will be amazed to know that Python was a hobby project. Python was created in December 1989. Guido Van Rossum, the creator of Python was looking for a hobby project that could keep him occupied during the Christmas week. 

Rossum already had something in mind. He was thinking of writing a new scripting language that would appeal to Unix/C hackers. He called it Python. 
With the widespread use of Python Applications these days, the same hobby project is dominating the market space today. 

<b>Why was it called Python?</b>

This is another interesting fact that will surely surprise you. The language’s name isn’t about snakes. It is about a popular British comedy troupe Monty Python (from the 1970s). Guido is a big fan of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. So, he chose to name the language “Python”.

<b>The Zen of Python</b>

Now, this is getting even more exciting. Are you wondering what '' The Zen of Python '' is? The answer to this is right here. It is a poem written by Tim Peters , a major contributor to the Python community. He wrote this poem so as to highlight the philosophies of Python. If you wish to see this poem, then you can type “import this” in your Python IDLE.

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<b>Flavors of Python</b>

Python comes in various flavors. Some of these are listed here. You can have a quick look at these to know more about Python applications. 

<ul><li>CPython- Written in C, it is the most common implementation of Python</li>
<li>Jython- Written in Java, it compiles to bytecode</li>
<li>IronPython- Implemented in C#, it is an extensibility layer to frameworks written in .NET</li>
<li>Brython- Also known as Browser Python, it runs in the browser</li>
<li>RubyPython- it bridges between Python and Ruby interpreters</li>
<li>PyPy- it is implemented in Python</li>
<li>MicroPython- It runs on a microcontroller</li></ul>

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<b>Big Companies that use Python</b>

Many big names in the business world use (or have used) Python for their products/services for leveraging the advantages of Python. I have listed the names of some of these below. You can also <a href="https://www.resourcifi.com/hire-python-developer/">hire Python developer</a> for integrating Python benefits into your project.

<ul><li>NASA</li>
<li>Google</li>
<li>IBM</li>
<li>Yahoo! Maps</li>
<li>Walt Disney Feature Animation</li>
<li>Facebook</li>
<li>Netflix</li>
<li>Reddit</li>
<li>Quora</li>
<li>Amazon</li>
<li>Dropbox</li>
<li>Pinterest</li>
<li>Youtube</li></ul>

Python is also the first choice for big data companies. To know the reasons, please 

<a href="https://towardsdatascience.com/why-is-python-programming-a-perfect-fit-for-big-data-5ac54ee8f95e">Read</a>: “Why is Python Programming a perfect fit for Big Data?”

<b>No braces required</b>

Unlike Java and C++, Python does not use braces to delimit code. If you are using Python, then indentation is mandatory. In case you choose to import it from the __future__ package, then it gives you a witty error just like the same as shown below.

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<b>Functions can return multiple values</b>

One of the major advantages of Python is that a function can return more than one value as a tuple. You can have a look at this code. Here, in this code, the function returns more than one value at once. 

This is not possible using Java. In Java, you are allowed to return an array of values instead. This is one of the reasons which makes Python a preferred choice for Big data technology as analysis of complex data is involved there.

![Alt Text](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/zb4s533v3t47hmubpfyi.png)
<a href="https://d2h0cx97tjks2p.cloudfront.net/blogs/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/10/multiple-return-values.png">Source</a>

<a href="https://dev.to/scarlett8285/is-python-for-financial-app-development-the-right-fit-5hb8">Read</a>: “Is Python for Financial App Development the Right fit?”

<b>Python supports multiple assignments in one statement</b>

Python users will be glad to know that Python lets you assign the same value to multiple variables in one statement. It allows you to assign values to multiple variables at once.

This makes swapping easier and quicker in Python. Do you know why? The reason being that swapping in Python can easily be done using 1 line of code. 

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<b>It’s easier to reverse a list with Slicing</b>

One of the advantages of Python is that it allows you to reverse values in a list. For example, if you list some of the values, then by using -1, you can get these values in the list reversed. Here is the code for it.

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<b>Chain Comparison is possible using Python</b>

Python allows chain comparison! At times, you may be required to do more than one comparison at once. Like, if you have a condition in which you need to check whether a value is greater than another and lesser than another simultaneously, then with Python it’s surely possible!

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<b>String literals can concatenate together</b>

Another fact about Python that will surprise you is that if string literals are separated by a space, then Python automatically concatenates them together. 
So, ‘Hello’ ‘World’ becomes ‘HelloWorld’ as shown here.

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<b>Python influenced JavaScript</b>

Python is one of the 9 languages influencing the design of JavaScript. Other languages that influence its design include AWK, C, HyperTalk, Java, Lua, Perl, Scheme, and Self.

<b>for- and while- loops can have else statements</b>

Yes, that’s true!  In Python, the “else statement”  is not limited to if and try statements. If you are adding an else block after a for- or while- loop, then the statements inside the else block will get executed only after the loop completes.

In case if the loop raises an exception or reaches a break statement, then the code under the else statement will not get executed. This can be of great help while conducting search operations.

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<b>Using “ _” gets the value of the last expression</b>

Using an underscore in Python allows you to get the value/result of the last expression. You can refer to the code to gain clarity.

![Alt Text](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/sbapnfdjdlyeo9ug2mrd.png)
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<b>The Bottomline,</b>

I am pretty sure that by NOW you would have got a clear idea why Python is in vogue these days. These listed interesting facts will surely help you know more about the language and its benefits. You can incorporate these benefits in the next upcoming project for scaling your business growth.