My background in programming is mostly Java. It was the first language I learned, and the language I spent the most amount of time with (I then moved on to C# for a little, and eventually C in school). A while back I tried dabbling with Python, and it seemed so different to me (based on my experience with Java). Anyways, now I'm doing much more Python stuff, and I've learned that Python is considered an OOP language with classes and such. I was just curious as to whether these attributes of Python function similarly to their Java counterparts.
Please understand, that I'm asking this at a very rudimentary level. I'm still a "new" programmer in the sense that I just know how to write code, but don't know much about the various intricacies and subtleties with various languages and types of programming.
Thanks
EDIT
Sorry, I realize that this was incredibly broad, but I really wasn't looking for specifics. I guess the root of my question stems from my curiosity about the purpose/role of classes in Python to begin with. From my experience, and what I've seen (and this is by no means extensive or considered to be an accurate representation of the actual uses of Python), most of the time, Python is used without classes or any sort of OOP. As to how that relates to Java, I merely wanted to know if there was a special use or scenario for classes in Python. Essentially, since classes are required in Java, and I was brought up on Java, classes seemed like a norm to me. However, when I got to Python, I noticed that a lack of classes was the norm. This led me to wonder whether classes in Python had some sort of special significance.
I apologize if this is no more clear than my original post, or if any of this sounds confusing/inaccurate.
The short answer is yes and no.
One of the key differences I see in Python compared to Java and C# is that in Python, functions don't have to be in a class. In fact, operations don't even have to be in a function.
Java and C# both have two main rules:

All code must be in a class.
Operations are generally required to be in functions.

This isn't true in Python. In fact, you can write a very basic Python script that's not even in a function. Java does not offer that flexibility - sometimes, that can be very positive because those strict rules help keep the code organized.
Classes in Python operate in a manner that's very similar to Java and C#, but they aren't necessarily applied in the same way because of the rules above.
Do classes in Python work the same way as classes in Java?