Python: Hello world !

Writing "Hello, world!" in Python (December 21, 2024)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. A Brief History of Python
3. Getting Started with Python 3.13.1
   • Choosing a Text Editor
   • Writing the Code
   • Saving the File
4. Running Your Code
   • Opening a Terminal or Command Prompt
   • Navigating to Your File
   • Executing the Code
5. Explanation
6. Conclusion

1. Introduction

This guide will walk you through creating a simple "Hello, world!" program in Python, using the latest stable release as of December 21, 2024: Python 3.13.1. This classic program is the first step for many beginning programmers, demonstrating the basic syntax and process of writing and running code.

2. A Brief History of Python

Before we dive in, let's take a quick look at the evolution of Python:

• December 1989: Python's journey begins, led by Guido van Rossum.
• February 1991: The first public release (0.9.0) introduces features like exception handling.
• January 1994: Python 1.0 adds lambda, map, filter, and reduce.
• October 2000: Python 2.0 brings list comprehensions and full Unicode support.
• December 2008: Python 3.0 marks a major overhaul, addressing limitations of previous versions.
• October 7, 2024: Python 3.13.1, the latest release, introduces a new interactive interpreter, incremental garbage collection, and an experimental JIT compiler.

Python's emphasis on simplicity and readability has contributed to its popularity in diverse fields like web development, data analysis, AI, and scientific computing.

3. Getting Started with Python 3.13.1

Choosing a Text Editor

You'll need a plain text editor to write your code. While basic editors like Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac) work, consider a code editor like Visual Studio Code for its helpful features like syntax highlighting and autocompletion.

Writing the Code

Open your text editor and type the following line:

print("Hello, world!")  

This single line is your entire program!

Saving the File

• Go to "Save As" in the File menu.
• Name the file hello.py (the .py extension identifies it as a Python file).
• Save it in a location you can easily access.

4. Running Your Code

Opening a Terminal or Command Prompt

You'll use a terminal or command prompt to run your Python code.

• Windows: Search for "Command Prompt" or "CMD".
• Mac: Open "Terminal" (found in Applications/Utilities).

Navigating to Your File

Use the cd command in the terminal to change to the directory where you saved hello.py. For example:

cd Documents/PythonProjects   

Executing the Code

Type the following command and press Enter:

python hello.py  

This tells Python to execute the code in your hello.py file. You should see "Hello, world!" printed in the terminal.

5. Explanation

• print() is a built-in function in Python that displays output to the console.
• "Hello, world!" is a text string (enclosed in quotes) that you want to display.

6. Conclusion

Congratulations! You've written and run your first Python program. This is a foundational step in your programming journey. From here, you can explore Python's vast capabilities and apply them to various projects.