With the ever-evolving technology, programming languages are continually being upgraded with new features and capabilities. Python is no exception to this. Python 2 and 3 are two fundamentally different versions of the same programming language that have some major differences you need to be aware of if you’re a developer or coder. In this blog post, we will go through some points highlighting the differences between these two versions of Python so that you can make an informed decision as to which one is better suited for your projects. Let’s dive right in!
What is Python 2?
Python 2 is a widely used programming language first released in 2000 and updated until Python 2.7 in 2010. Python 2 is a popular scripting language and its syntax is simple to learn, making it accessible to new programmers. Python 2 is also versatile since it runs on many platforms including Mac, Windows, Linux, and Unix systems. Python 2 has been around for two decades now but is still found in a variety of web development applications and data science projects. Its features continue to be useful and powerful for those who prefer running Python 2 code over other languages.
What is Python 3?
Python 3 is an interpreted, high-level, and extremely powerful programming language used by software developers for general-purpose programming.
- Python 3 was first released in December 2008 and boasts a wide array of features that allows developers to create complex applications quickly and easily.
- Python 3 has become more popular in recent years due to its comprehensive collection of libraries, simple syntax, flexibility, scalability, and its compatibility with other programming languages.
- Python 3 also has a built-in mechanism for unit testing applications, enabling developers to test their code as they build it – reducing long-term development costs while ensuring quality code is created. All of Python 3’s features make it one of the most popular choices among software developers worldwide.
Difference between Python 2 and Python 3
Python 2 and Python 3 are two of the most popular versions of Python, a general-purpose programming language.
- Python 2 was released in the year 2000, while Python 3 was released 8 years later in 2008. While Python 2 is still widely used due to its long existence, Python 3 includes multiple improvements in terms of usability, compatibility, and security.
- For instance, Python 2 does not provide Unicode support with bytes and strings, while Python 3 supports Unicode characters within strings.
- Furthermore, Python 3 changes functionalities that introduce incompatibility between Python 2 and 3 scripts. Thus Python 3 requires existing Python 2 code to be updated before it can be executed.
Despite these differences, both Python 2 and Python 3 are noteworthy programming languages that offer unique features for software development endeavors.
Conclusion
If you’re still using Python 2, it’s time to make the switch to Python 3. With so many new features and updates in Python 3, you won’t be disappointed. The sooner you make the switch, the sooner you can start taking advantage of all that Python 3 has to offer.
