Learn Python the Hard Way: exercise 40 - what is "object" and "self" in class definition? -

below code learn python hard way exercise 40: modules, classes, , objects can't seem figure out why there parameter class mystuff(object). what's reason put object in parentheses?

class mystuff(object):      def __init__(self):         self.tangerine = "and thousand years between"      def apple(self):         print "i classy apples!" 

i have looked through of articles here on stackoverflow failed understand what's new object , old class object. please explain meaning of object in class definition? happens if leave parentheses empty when declare class?

also there (self) argument 2 functions in code.
in book says "self" empty object python created while instantiating object class.
why stating argument before actual use of it??

i have been learning programming 2 weeks apologize if question superficial, thank time~

as per comment, see using python 2. in python 2.2 introduced "new-style" classes, kept "classic" classes backwards-compatibility reasons. in python 3.0 or newer, classic classes gone - every class new-style class (regardless of syntax).

for python 2.2-2.7, syntactically new-style class declared subclassing object explicitly (unless has different parent class):

class mystuffnew(object):     a=1 

while omitting object reference creates classic class:

class mystuffclassic():     a=1 

functionally, work same, there few differences between them in builtin language definitions. example, new-style classes introduced builtin class method __mro()__ (method resolution order) used interpreter work out method (in class inheritance heirarchy) meant call. inbuilt method missing in old-style classes (and method resolution order different, can lead unexpected behaviour). more information new-style vs classic classes, please read this python wiki page.

as mentioned above, in python3 or above, syntax used doesn't matter; classes new-style. however, many coders use class myclass(object): syntax maintain code compatibility python2.7. - please see this answer.

in version of python language, class mychildclass(parentclass): defines inheritance relationship - mychildclass child of parentclass , inherit of methods , fields.

the self way python knows member method , not static function of class. can access member fields , methods within class using self.field , self.mymethod(var1,var2), etc.

when call these functions other places in code, don't pass value self - variable using. example:

stuff = mystuff() stuff.apple() # outputs "i classy apples!" print stuff.tangerine  # outputs "and thousand years between" stuff.tangerine = "something else." print stuff.tangerine # outputs "something else." stuff2 = mystuff() print stuff2.tangerine # outputs "and thousand years between" 

if don't include self in method definition, calling mystuff.apple() result in runtime error because implicitly it's same thing calling mystuff.apple(mystuff) - passing instance of mystuff class apple function.