It was in December 1989 that Guido van Rossum, a Dutch computer scientist, build his own programming language.
His principles at the time, was to create a language that is easy to read, and allowing coders to create their own packages of special-purpose coding modules.
He called the programming language Python, named after Monty Python, a British comedy group.
About three decades later, in 2018, the programming language becomes one of the most popular programming languages, especially among professional developers that in 2018, about 40 percent of them are using it. Python has been searched on Google Search, more often than Kim Kardashian, the famous reality-TV star.
While other programming language have been flat or declining, Python experienced a huge growth.
Although delighted by this enthusiasm, "I certainly didn’t set out to create a language that was intended for mass consumption," said Guido van Rossum.
"I’m uncomfortable with that fame. Sometimes I feel like everything I say or do is seen as a very powerful force."
It was on July 12th 2018 that he resigned, leaving the Pythonistas (avid practitioners of Python) to manage themselves.
Python in becoming the most popular programming language is for many reasons, some notably came from Van Rossum's original intentions. Among others that also helped the programming language to reach this height, is AI. In Python's package repository called Cheese Shop, allows developers to create AI with neural networks, which mimic how the human brain works.
Van Rossum said that Python has become the language of choice for AI researchers, who have produced numerous packages for it.
While its popularity increases, Python is not perfect.
If compared to other programming languages like C and C++, two that are considered "low-level", Python has less control of what can happen within a computer's processor. Also, Python has less processing efficiency and specialized capabilities. It's also less capable than Java, which is popular for building large and complex applications.
But still, Python boasts simple syntax and flexibility that makes its codes easy to learn and share. With a large number of third-party packages, Python is a good general-purpose language with great versatility.
Some that has been using Python include CIA, Pixar, Spotify and Google.
