Python

Python is an interpreted programming language created by Guido van Rossum in 1990. Python is fully dynamically typed and uses automatic memory management; it is thus similar to Perl, Ruby, Scheme, Smalltalk, and Tcl. Python is developed as an open source project, managed by the non-profit Python Software Foundation.

• Python 2.5.1 — 2007-04-18
• Python 2.4.4 — 2006-10-18
• Python 2.4.2 — 2005-09-28

Properties

• Python is strongly typed (i.e. types are enforced);
• dynamically, implicitly typed (i.e. you don't have to declare variables);
• case sensitive (i.e. var and VAR are two different variables); and
• object-oriented (i.e. everything is an object).

Reserved words (native to Python)

and		elif		global		or
assert		else		if		pass
break		except		import		print
class		exec		in		raise
continue	finally		is		return
def		for		lambda		try
del		from		not		while

See also

• pypi - Python Package Index
• SciPy
• NumPy
• Parallel Python ("pp" module)
• TurboGears
• Pyparsing (with Pyparsing introduction: BNF to code and wikipedia:Backus–Naur form)
• PyEphem — an astronomy library for Python

External links

• Python.org — Official site
• PythonInfo Wiki
• Perl/Python Phrasebook
• Rosetta Code
• Yet Another Rosetta Code Problem (Perl, Ruby, Python, Haskell, ...)
• Python 2.5 Quick Reference
• Byte of Python
• pydoc.org: Python Documentation Online
• Using the python wikipediabot
• Calculating phi/psi angles for the "Top 500" PDB files
• wikipedia:python

Online books/tutorials

• Building Skills in Python: A Programmer's Introduction to Python — by Steven F. Lott (2007)
• Beginning Python for Bioinformatics
• Python course in Bioinformatics
• Learn Python in 10 minutes — from Poromenos's Stuff
• Dive Into Python — Python from novice to pro — download entire eBook.
• Python 101 cheat sheet
• Python HOWTOs