1.1. An introduction to IronPython

Python is a dynamic language that has been around since 1990 and has a thriving user community. Dynamic languages don’t require you to declare the type of your objects, and they allow you greater freedom to create new objects and modify existing ones at runtime. On top of this, the Python philosophy places great importance on readability, clarity, and expressiveness. Figure 1.2 is a slide from a presentation^[6] by Guido van Rossum, the creator of Python; it explains why readability is so important in Python.

^[6] See http://www.python.org/doc/essays/ppt/hp-training/index.htm.

Figure 1.2. A slide from a presentation, emphasizing a guiding philosophy of Python