The Readable Language, 1991

Python was designed to be read. This era runs an evaluating REPL where variables, strings, lists, loops and the built-in functions all work, so you learn the language by watching it respond.

Code and data track · 7 missions · boss mission, no written exam · free, no signup. Everything below runs in the browser terminal on the SERVBG home page.

Open The Readable Language in the terminal

What you will do

  1. print output print("hello, world")

    1991 · Guido van Rossum releases Python. Named after Monty Python, not the snake. Readability first.

  2. do arithmetic (** is power) print(2 ** 10)

    Numbers just work: +, -, *, /, ** (power), % (modulo). No boilerplate, no types to declare.

  3. store a value in a variable name = "Ivan"

    No type declarations — a name simply binds to a value. Dynamic typing, readable at a glance.

  4. join strings with + print("py" + "thon")

    Strings are first-class: concatenate with +, repeat with *. "ab" * 3 == "ababab".

  5. measure length with len() print(len("servbg"))

    len() works on strings, lists, dicts — one function, many types. Batteries included.

  6. loop with for + range for i in range(3): print(i)

    for iterates over any sequence. range(n) yields 0..n-1. Indentation IS the block syntax.

  7. Boss missioncompose functions — sum a range print(sum(range(1, 101)))

    sum(range(1,101)) == 5050 — the Gauss trick, in one readable line. Composition is the whole game.

Certificate

This is one of the original eras, so it ends at the boss mission: there is no written exam and no certificate for it. Clearing the boss marks the era complete and banks the XP. The expansion tracks (networking, Cisco IOS, FortiOS, containers, Kubernetes, cloud, operations, defence, models and the nine graphics eras) are the ones that carry exams.

Nearby eras

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2005 · Version Control
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All 25 eras in the Terminal Academy

Open The Readable Language in the terminal