History of Python
Python is a widely-used general-purpose, high-level programming language. It was initially designed by Guido van Rossum in 1991 and developed by Python Software Foundation. It was mainly developed for emphasis on code readability, and its syntax allows programmers to express concepts in fewer lines of code.
In the late 1980s, history was about to be written. It was that time when working on Python started. Soon after that, Guido Van Rossum began doing its application-based work in December of 1989 at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) which is situated in the Netherlands. It was started firstly as a hobby project because he was looking for an interesting project to keep him occupied during Christmas. The programming language in which Python is said to have succeeded is ABC Programming Language, which had interfacing with the Amoeba Operating System and had the feature of exception handling. He had already helped to create ABC earlier in his career and he had seen some issues with ABC but liked most of the features. After that what he did was really very clever. He had taken the syntax of ABC, and some of its good features. It came with a lot of complaints too, so he fixed those issues completely and had created a good scripting language that had removed all the flaws. The inspiration for the name came from BBC’s TV Show – ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’, as he was a big fan of the TV show and also he wanted a short, unique and slightly mysterious name for his invention and hence he named it Python! He was the “Benevolent dictator for life” (BDFL) until he stepped down from the position as the leader on 12th July 2018. For quite some time he used to work for Google, but currently, he is working at Dropbox.
The language was finally released in 1991. When it was released, it used a lot fewer codes to express the concepts, when we compare it with Java, C++ & C. Its design philosophy was quite good too. Its main objective is to provide code readability and advanced developer productivity. When it was released it had more than enough capability to provide classes with inheritance, several core data types exception handling and functions.
Following are the illustrations of different versions of Python along with the timeline.
Python 3.10.4 is the latest stable version.
The two of the most used versions has to Python 2.x & 3.x. There is a lot of competition between the two and both of them seem to have quite a number of different fanbases.
For various purposes such as developing, scripting, generation, and software testing, this language is utilized. Due to its elegance and simplicity, top technology organizations like Dropbox, Google, Quora, Mozilla, Hewlett-Packard, Qualcomm, IBM, and Cisco have implemented Python.
Python has come a long way to become the most popular coding language in the world. Python has just turned 30 and just recently at pycon22(python conference) a new feature was released by Anaconda foundation it’s known as pyscript with this now python can be written and run in the browser like javascript which was previously not possible, but it still has that unknown charm & X factor which can be clearly seen from the fact that Google users have consistently searched for Python much more than they have searched for Kim Kardashian, Donald Trump, Tom Cruise, etc.
Python has been an inspiration for many other coding languages such as Ruby, Cobra, Boo, CoffeeScript ECMAScript, Groovy, Swift Go, OCaml, Julia, etc.
What was the computer language ‘Python’ named after?
No, it isn’t named after a snake. Guido van Rossum, the inventor of the most popular programming language today, named the language after a Comedy Show! “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”, to be specific. It’s a 70s comedy show that used to air on the BBC. To compare, the Monty Python show is like the ‘Friends’ of the 70s, with an 8.8 IMDb rating. It’s still on Netflix if you wish to watch.
But, you must be thinking ‘why it was named after a comedy show?’, the reason is Rossum happened to be reading published scripts of Monty Python’s show while he was implementing the language. Since he wanted the programming language to be unique and have a mysterious touch — he decided to go with the name ‘Python’. Probably, must be an Aha! moment.
Python’s official development started in the 1980s, but was released in 1991. Currently, it has a 30%, i.e. the highest, usage share among all the popular languages including C++, Java, JavaScript, PHP, etc.
One more fun fact: The examples in the documentation of the Python language have some of the comedy show references, like the one below:
Here, “Spam” and “Eggs” are references to a comedy sketch in one of the episodes. The characters are having breakfast over a shop and the menu involves processed meat in almost every item. The characters in the sketch end up reading the menu like:
Egg, bacon, sausage and spam
Spam, bacon, sausage and spam
Spam, egg, spam, spam, bacon and spam
…. and it quickly converts into everyone singing it as a song.
Okay, one last fun fact and we are done for today: The word ‘Spam’ which we use today for electronic garbage is derived from this series and this episode. So much historical significance for a show. Haha
When Was Python Created: History of Python
Python is one of the most popular programming languages today. Giant tech companies and small startups alike use Python to build websites, analyze data, and automate tedious tasks.
Python’s ubiquitous acceptance may lead you to ask, when was Python created? Where did this practical, open-source programming language come from? And how did it get a name like Python?
If you’re wondering when Python was created, you’re in luck. Below, we discuss the origin of this beginner-friendly programming language and explain why so many still use it today. After reading this article, you’ll be able to explain where Python came from, who created it, and what makes it so unique.
So, if you’ve ever asked yourself, “when was Python created?” Read on.
Table of Contents
Why was Python named Python?
Python was named after the BBC comedy sketch television show Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
When was Python first used?
Python’s first version was released for use in 1991.
Why is Python so famous?
Python is famous for several reasons, but the biggest is its ease of use. Even beginners can pick up Python quickly, thanks to its simplicity. It’s ease-of-use also allows programmers to create and deploy projects fast.
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Python was named after the BBC comedy sketch television show Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
When Was Python Created?
Python’s conception traces back to December 1989, when a computer programmer named Guido van Rossum had a week off of work. His company, Centrum Wiskunde Information (CWI), was closed for the Christmas holiday, leaving van Rossum with lots of extra time.
Many of us use holidays to escape work’s problems, but van Rossum took the opposite approach. During the break, he put his mind towards solving an issue he had at the office. At the time, his job included working on the Amoeba project.
The Amoeba project was a microkernel-based distributed system that CWI was developing for system utilities. The job required a lot of coding in C, which was a slow process. Van Rossum was sure there was a better way.
So, he spent the break revising the ABC programming language to be more readable and clear. The result was the first version of Python, a programming language that allowed programmers to express concepts in fewer lines of code.
The name Python came from van Rossum’s favorite show, Monty Python’s Flying Circus. He later said he chose the name because he wanted something punchy, unique, and mysterious– Python fit the bill beautifully.
Having fewer lines of code meant that Python offered:
Van Rossum knew this would make his job easier and had the potential to change coding around the world.
Python Released To The World
Before releasing Python to coders everywhere, van Rossum went to his manager at CWI. They decided they should release Python as an open-source language.
Today, releasing a programming language as open-source might sound obvious. Many of the world’s top coding languages are open-source. But that wasn’t so clear in the late eighties and early nineties. So, many applaud van Rossum and his manager for choosing an open-source model, as it allowed Python to become what it is today.
In February 1991, van Rossum published Python to alt.source, a Usenet group for open-source code. The first version was called Python 0.9.0. Subsequent versions included:
Each version offered new features and updates, which made Python more usable for software and website developers.
A Benevolent Dictator For Life
Not long after the release of Python 1.0, Guido van Rossum joined the Corporation for National Research Initiatives . This non-profit focuses on network-based information technologies that work for the public interest.
There, he led a meeting to discuss the creation of a semi-formal group that would oversee future Python development. In a post-meeting follow-up email, one of the attendees, Ken Manheimer, jokingly named van Rossom “Benevolent Dictator for Life” or BDFL.
Later, the title was given to other open-source software development leaders, signifying their power to provide the final say in disputes or arguments within their programming communities.
Despite the name, van Rossum stepped down as BDFL for Python in 2018 without appointing a successor. The move eliminated the title within the Python community structure and left core developers to make future decisions.