Guido van Rossum created Python in the 1980s at CWI in the Netherlands and became a successor to the ABC programming language. This language was capable of extraordinary handling and combining with the Amoeba operating system. The implementation of this language started in December 1989. Van Rossum was the leading developer until his permanent vacation announcement on 12 July 2018.

Meanwhile, Python 3.0 was released on 16 October 2000 adding various advanced features. Python 3.0 received an update on 3 December 20008 with most of its key characteristics upgraded to Python 2.6.x and 2.7.x. The updates of Python 3 include the 2to3 utility to automate the translation of Python 2 code to Python 3. The termination of Python 2.7 was scheduled for 2015 but postponed to 2020.

Security Patches & Other Improvements

Python 3.9.2 and 3.8.8 were brought on with all versions of Python including 2.7 in 2021. But it, unfortunately, experienced critical security issues causing possible remote code execution and web cache allocation. However, Python versions 3.10.4, 3.9.12, 3.8.13, and 3.7.13 were brought on with various security issues in 2022.

Python 3.9.13 was released in May 2022 announcing the 3.9 series will only get security patches in the future. Meanwhile, 4 new updates were launched amid a possible denial-of-service attack: 3.10.7, 3.9.14, 3.8.14, and 3.7.14 on September 7, 2022. Python 3.11.0 was released in November 2022 and is still the current release.

Major Factors involved in Boosting Python’s Popularity

There were various elements that offered significant support to make Python a successful language. ABC was aimed at teaching language with a simple syntax but more difficult to expand. It didn’t feature any modules or libraries and there wasn’t any way to collaborate with the OS. Python got the simple syntax of ABC and is combined with a module system to possibly extend the language.

Python also included a powerful C API to make it simple to interface with OS and other essential C libraries. This approach boosted the popularity of the language with Unix hacker types. These types participated in a great material to the standard library implementation in C. This made the language remarkably excellent for administrative drafting and other common programming tasks.

Meanwhile, there are various massively recognized weaknesses of this programming language. But Python is now considered one of the most popular and essential programming languages in the world. Various powerful features of this language have boosted the importance of Python around the globe. We will now discuss some major features involved in increasing Python’s popularity.

Python language is remarkably simple for newcomers and beginners to use and learn. It is one of the most available and accessible programming languages with simplified syntax to more prominence on natural language. However, simple-to-learn and easy-to-use methods enable developers to write and execute Python codes much faster.

Python is an interpreted language so code base modification is easy and most popular among various types of developers. Some earlier reports have indicated that around 3 million new developers entered the market between 2018 and 2021. This marked the total number to 27 million developers and is expected to hit around 30 million in 2030.

  • Developed & Encouraging Python Community

Python was released at least 3 decades ago. This programming language took significant time to grow and gradually mature to support beginner to expert-level developers. You can get a plethora of documentation, guides, and Video Tutorials for Python language. Developers with any skill level or age can instantly use and receive the required support to improve the Python programming language.

However, the Python language efficiently introduced computer science to most students. This programming language is widely used for in-depth research projects and by the community to guide the learning of data science. The Python developer community is one of the most active programming language communities around the world. You can receive beginner to expert-level developer support if you experience an issue with Python language.

  • Support from Famous Corporate Sponsors

Any programming language can grow faster if a corporate sponsor is backing it. For instance, Oracle & Sun supports Java, Facebook backs PHP, and Microsoft backs Visual Basic & C language. Meanwhile, Facebook, Google, and Amazon Web Services are massively backing Python programming language.

Google accepted python language in 2006 and effectively used it for various platforms and applications. The search giant dedicated massive institutional efforts and money to the successful training of the Python language. Google had also established a devoted portal just for python.

  • Python Libraries and Structures to Save Time

Python now contains excellent libraries because of its massive supportive python community and corporate sponsorship. You can use them to save effort and time at the initial stage of development. There are many cloud media services available offering cross-platform support with extremely beneficial library-like tools.

  • Flexibility, Reliability, Speed, and Efficiency

Python developers believe that the language is more efficient, dependable, and significantly faster compared to other modern languages. You will not experience any type of critical performance issue because it is feasible for almost any type of environment. The flexibility of python language enables developers to use it in different scenarios including web development, mobile applications, etc.

  • Cloud Computing, ML, & Big Data are Top Trends

Cloud Computing, Big Data, and Machine Learning are currently some of the top trends in computer science. They provide significant support for organizations to revamp and amplify their workflows and processes. Meanwhile, Python language is the 2nd most famous available tool after R language for analytics and data science. Many organizations are only using python language for various data processing workloads.

  • The First Language Option

Most programmers and students select python language as their priority. The key reason for python’s popularity is the constant high demand in the development market. Most developers and students traditionally prefer learning high-demand languages. Many data science students and programmers are using python for their development projects. Python language offers a plethora of excellent career opportunities for students.

  • Python’s involvement in Academics

Python is considered the major programming language in colleges and schools for Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Deep Learning. This language has become a basic part of any development environment even in colleges and schools. It is now effectively producing more Python Developers and Programmers.