Know Kotlin? Want Python?

• Part 1
• Part 2

Welcome, Kotlin developers! If you’re interested in expanding your programming skills and learning Python, this guide is for you. While Kotlin and Python are both powerful and versatile languages, they have some key differences that you’ll need to keep in mind as you dive into Python.

First, let’s talk about the basics. Like Kotlin, Python is an object-oriented, high-level programming language. However, Python is interpreted rather than compiled, which means that it runs the code line by line rather than converting it to machine code first. This can make Python a bit slower than Kotlin, but it also makes it more flexible and easier to debug.

One of the biggest differences between Kotlin and Python is the syntax. Kotlin uses a lot of curly braces and semicolons, while Python relies more on indentation to indicate code blocks. This can take some getting used to, but it also makes Python code more readable and less prone to errors.

Another big difference is that Kotlin is a statically typed language, while Python is dynamically typed. This means that in Kotlin, you have to specify the type of a variable when you declare it, while in Python, the type is determined at runtime. This can make Python more flexible, but it also means that you may encounter more runtime errors.

Now, let’s talk about some specific features of Python. One of the most powerful features of Python is its extensive standard library. This library includes modules for everything from web development to data science, and it makes it easy to perform complex tasks with just a few lines of code.

Another great feature of Python is its support for functional programming. Python has built-in support for lambda functions, list comprehensions, and other functional programming constructs, which can make your code more concise and easier to reason about.

If you’re used to Kotlin’s coroutines, you’ll be happy to know that Python also has support for asynchronous programming. The asyncio library is built into Python and provides a simple and efficient way to handle concurrency.

Finally, let’s talk about some specific examples of how to translate Kotlin code to Python. If you’re used to writing for loops in Kotlin, you’ll find that Python’s for loops are very similar. For example, this Kotlin code:

for (i in 1..10) {
    println(i)
}

can be translated to this Python code:

for i in range(1, 11):
    print(i)

If you’re used to working with classes in Kotlin, you’ll find that Python classes are very similar. For example, this Kotlin code:

class MyClass {
 var x: Int = 0
 fun printX() {
    println(x)
 }
}

can be translated to this Python code:

class MyClass:
   def __init__(self):
      self.x = 0
   def printX(self):
       print(self.x)

In conclusion, Kotlin and Python are both powerful and versatile languages, but they have some key differences that you’ll need to keep in mind as you learn Python. However, with a little practice, you’ll soon be writing Python code with ease.