Python

11 definitions retrieved

Python \Py"thon\, n. [NL., fr. L. Python the serpent slain near
Delphi by Apollo, Gr. ?.]

1. (Zool.) Any species of very large snakes of the genus
Python, and allied genera, of the family Pythonid[ae].
They are nearly allied to the boas. Called also {rock
snake}.
[1913 Webster]

Note: The pythons have small pelvic bones, or anal spurs, two
rows of subcaudal scales, and pitted labials. They are
found in Africa, Asia, and the East Indies.
[1913 Webster]

2. A diviner by spirits. "[Manasses] observed omens, and
appointed pythons." --4 Kings xxi. 6 (Douay version).
[1913 Webster]

python
n 1: large Old World boas

2: a soothsaying spirit or a person who is possessed by such a
spirit

3: (Greek mythology) dragon killed by Apollo at Delphi

Python

1. A simple, high-level interpreted language by
Guido van Rossum , 1991. Python combines ideas
from ABC, C, Modula-3 and Icon. It bridges the gap
between C and shell programming, making it suitable for
rapid prototyping or as an extension language for C
applications. It is object-oriented and supports packages,
modules, classes, user-defined exceptions, a good C
interface, dynamic loading of C modules and has no arbitrary
restrictions.

Python is available, among others, for Unix, Windows,
DOS, OS/2, Macintosh, and Amoeba.

Current version: 1.4, includes interpreter, libraries, and
documentation.

Home (http://www.python.org/).

Usenet newsgroup: news:comp.lang.python.

2. A compiler for CMU Common LISP. Python is
more sophisticated than other Common Lisp compilers. It
produces better code and is easier to use. The programming
environment based on the Hemlock editor is better integrated
than GNU Emacs based environments.

(1997-02-27)

Python
/pi:'thon/

In the words of its author, "the other scripting language" (other
than Perl, that is). Python's design is notably clean, elegant, and
well thought through; it tends to attract the sort of programmers who
find Perl grubby and exiguous. Some people revolt at its use of
whitespace to define logical structure by indentation, objecting that
this harks back to the horrible old fixed-field languages of the
1960s. Python's relationship with Perl is rather like the BSD
community's relationship to Linux -- it's the smaller party in a
(usually friendly) rivalry, but the average quality of its developers
is generally conceded to be rather higher than in the larger
community it competes with. There's a Python resource page at
http://www.python.org. See also Guido, BDFL.