The Basics

• First off, a comment is a number sign, #, (also called a hashtag in social media) followed by some text. A comment is a human readable sentence that Python will ignore. For example, # This is a comment! will not be interpreted by Python.

• Second, if you ever see three greater than signs (>>>) and three periods (...), then this implies that the Python shell is being used. Refer back to the previous lesson on how to access the shell.

• Thirdly, a variable is a namespace , like var and somevar, and it can hold a Python data type, like a number or string that you'll learn about later.

• Fourth, like the previous lesson stated, Python 3.X will be used in this course, so make sure you don't use Python 2.X or you'll definitely get an error message.

• Fifth, a python script is just a plain text file with python code in it. Refer back to the previous lesson for more information.

Python Jargon

• CPython: The original Python implementation written in C.
• IDE: Stands for Integrated Development Environment. An IDE named IDLE is bundled with a CPython installation.
• Namespace: The name of a variable.
• PEP: Stands for Python Enhancement Proposals. These documents rationally govern Python.
• PSF: Stands for Python Software Foundation. This non-profit organization helps maintain and advance Python.
• Pythonic: Something that follows the idioms of Python.
• Shell: A simple GUI that can print output and capture input.
• Unpythonic: Opposite of Pythonic. Something that doesn't follow or goes against the idioms of Python.
• Zen of Python: Formally known as PEP 20. A document that closely expresses Python's principles and philosophies.