According to various websites, Python is one of the most popular coding languages ​​of 2015. In addition to being a high-level, general-purpose programming language, Python is also object-oriented and open source. At the same time, a good number of developers around the world have been using Python to create GUI applications, websites, and mobile applications. The differentiating factor that Python provides is that it allows programmers to develop concepts by writing less readable code. Developers can further leverage various Python frameworks to mitigate the time and effort required to build large and complex software applications.

The programming language is currently being used by several high-traffic websites, including Google, Yahoo Groups, Yahoo Maps, Linux Weekly News, Shopzilla, and Web Therapy. Likewise, Python also finds great use in building gaming, financial, scientific, and educational applications. However, developers still use different versions of the programming language. According to Python usage statistics and market share data published on W3techs, currently 99.4% of websites use Python 2, while Python 3 is only used by 0.6% of websites. Therefore, it is essential that each programmer understand the different versions of Python and their evolution over many years.

How has Python evolved over the years?

Conceived as a hobby programming project

Despite being one of the most popular coding languages ​​of 2015, Python was originally conceived by Guido van Rossum as a hobby project in December 1989. As Van Rossum’s office was closed for Christmas, he was looking for a project on hobby to keep him busy during the holidays. He planned to create an interpreter for a new programming language and named the project Python. Therefore, Python was originally designed as a successor to the ABC programming language. After writing the interpreter, Van Rossum released the code in February 1991. Today, however, the Python Software Foundation manages the open source programming language.

Python version 1

Python 1.0 was released in January 1994. The major version included a number of new features and functional programming tools including lambda, filter, mapping, and reduction. Version 1.4 was released with several new features like keyword arguments, built-in support for complex numbers, and a basic form of data hiding. The major version was followed by two minor versions, version 1.5 in December 1997 and version 1.6 in September 2000. Version 1 of Python lacked the features offered by popular programming languages ​​of the time. But the initial versions created a solid foundation for the development of a powerful and futuristic programming language.

Python version 2

In October 2000, Python 2.0 was released with the new list comprehension feature and a garbage collection system. The syntax for the list comprehension function was inspired by other functional programming languages ​​such as Haskell. But Python 2.0, unlike Haskell, gave preference to alphabetic keywords over punctuation characters. In addition, the garbage collection system carried out the collection of reference cycles. The main release was followed by several minor releases. These versions added a number of functionality to the programming language, such as support for nested scopes and unifying Python classes and types into a single hierarchy. The Python Software Foundation has already announced that there will be no Python 2.8. However, the Foundation will support version 2.7 of the programming language until 2020.

Python version 3

Python 3.0 was released in December 2008. It comes with several new features and enhancements, along with a number of deprecated features. Obsolete features and backward incompatibility make Python version 3 completely different from previous versions. Many developers still use Python 2.6 or 2.7 to take advantage of the deprecated features of the latest major version. However, the new features of Python 3 made it more modern and popular. Many developers even switched to version 3.0 of the programming language to take advantage of these amazing features.

Python 3.0 replaced the print declaration with the built-in print () function, while allowing programmers to use a custom separator between lines. It also simplified the order comparison rules. If the operands are not arranged in a natural and meaningful order, the ordering comparison operators can now throw a TypeError exception. Version 3 of the programming language also uses text and data instead of Unicode and 8-bit strings. Although it treats all code as Unicode by default, it represents binary data as encoded Unicode.

Since Python 3 is backward-incompatible, programmers cannot access functions such as string exceptions, old-style classes, and implicit relative imports. Additionally, developers should be familiar with the changes made to the syntax and APIs. They can use a tool called “2to3” to migrate their Python 2 to 3 application without any hassle. The tool highlights incompatibility and areas of concern through comments and warnings. Comments help programmers make code changes and update their existing applications to the latest version of the programming language.

Latest versions of Python

Currently, programmers can choose Python version 3.4.3 or 2.7.10. Python 2.7 allows developers to take advantage of improved number handling and enhancements to the standard library. The release makes it even easier for developers to migrate to Python 3. On the other hand, Python 3.4 comes with several new functions and library modules, security enhancements, and CPython implementation enhancements. However, several functions are deprecated in both the Python API and the programming language. Developers can still use Python 3.4 to take advantage of long-term support.

Python version 4

Python 4.0 is expected to be available in 2023 after the release of Python 3.9. It will come with features that will help programmers to switch from version 3 to 4 smoothly. Additionally, as they gain experience, experienced Python developers can take advantage of a number of backward-compatible features to modernize their existing applications without spending additional time or effort. However, developers still have to wait many years to get a clear idea of ​​Python 4.0. However, they must monitor the latest versions to easily migrate to version 4.0 of the popular coding language.

Python version 2 and version 3 are completely different from each other. Therefore, each programmer must understand the characteristics of these different versions and compare their functionality based on the specific needs of the project. Also, you need to check the version of Python that each framework supports. However, every developer should take advantage of the latest version of Python to take advantage of new features and long-term support.

Harri has a keen interest in Python and loves blogging cool things about technology. He recently wrote an interesting Python blog at http://www.allaboutweb.biz/category/python/.