Python是一种社区驱动的、开源的、拥有独特的简洁和可读性的、多用途的、动态的脚本语言。

优点：

能够使开发速度最优化，同时还可以保证代码的高度可读性，使程序员能够快速完成项目开发。

缺点：

执行速度不够快(与C、C++相比)。

Python代码常保存在后缀为.py的文件中，不需要编译链接的过程。其实现机制为：

源代码→字节码→Python Virtual Machine

如果需要生成.exe文件(冻结二进制文件)，往往可以借助一些工具：Py2exe(WINDOWS) / PyInstaller (Linux / UNIX)。其机制是将python嵌入于二进制文件从而实现Python的环境。

在交互解释器中Python能自动打印表达式的结果，并且可以重定向其输出到一个文件，如

python spam.py > saveit.txt

长期编写C/C++代码的我对该功能非常钦佩!

[翻译]

Python是一种易学的、强大的语言。它拥有高效的数据结构与简单而高效的面向对象编程思想。Python优雅的语法、动态数据类型以及它直译式的天性使得它不仅成为了一种理想的脚本语言，也使得它能够在几乎所有的平台上进行快速的开发。

Python的解释器和它的标准库是完全开源的，我们可以通过http://www.python.org/来获取和发布。该网站同时也能够发布第三方Python模块、程序、工具以及文档。

Python的解释器能够轻易地与其它语言的开发进行结合，Python同时也可以作为其他语言的一种扩展工具来使用。

附：

http://docs.python.org/tutorial

The Python Tutorial

Release:	2.7
Date:	July 14, 2011

Python is an easy to learn, powerful programming language. It has efficient high-level data structures and a simple but effective approach to object-oriented programming. Python’s elegant syntax and dynamic typing, together with its interpreted nature, make it an ideal language for scripting and rapid application development in many areas on most platforms.

The Python interpreter and the extensive standard library are freely available in source or binary form for all major platforms from the Python Web site, http://www.python.org/, and may be freely distributed. The same site also contains distributions of and pointers to many free third party Python modules, programs and tools, and additional documentation.

The Python interpreter is easily extended with new functions and data types implemented in C or C++ (or other languages callable from C). Python is also suitable as an extension language for customizable applications.

This tutorial introduces the reader informally to the basic concepts and features of the Python language and system. It helps to have a Python interpreter handy for hands-on experience, but all examples are self-contained, so the tutorial can be read off-line as well.

For a description of standard objects and modules, see The Python Standard Library. The Python Language Reference gives a more formal definition of the language. To write extensions in C or C++, read Extending and Embedding the Python Interpreter and Python/C API Reference Manual. There are also several books covering Python in depth.

This tutorial does not attempt to be comprehensive and cover every single feature, or even every commonly used feature. Instead, it introduces many of Python’s most noteworthy features, and will give you a good idea of the language’s flavor and style. After reading it, you will be able to read and write Python modules and programs, and you will be ready to learn more about the various Python library modules described in The Python Standard Library.

The Glossary is also worth going through.