Installing Python

Installing the Python language on a Windows or Mac computer is not difficult. If you have your own computer, you will find that using it to do your programming assignments will simplify your life.

Here is the main Web page about Python.

There are two reasonable choices for which version of Python to install. We will use Python 3.1 or 3.2 although for our purposes it should not make much difference. It is best for you to install the newest version of Python from the Python webpage. Even if you start out with an old version you shoule install the version from the Python webpage as soon as you can.

Installing Python for Windows

To install Python, go to the official Python download page, and select the right Python installer for your system. This should download the installer icon onto your Desktop.

Click on the installer icon, and then just keep clicking "Next" to accept the standard installtion options, and finally "Finish".

Note: For Windows Vista, you may instead have to right-click on the installer icon, and then select "Install as Administrator".

When you are done, if you left-click on the Start menu at the bottom-left of your screen, and then "All Programs", you should see "Python" in the list of programs you can run. Click on it, and then select "IDLE- Python Interpreter" to get started!

Installing Python on a Mac

OS-X comes with a version of Python pre-installed. But it's an older version, and it does not include IDLE and a bunch of other things. So it will make your life easier if you install a later version. This means you will have two Pythons, but you know if you are using IDLE that you are using the new one.

Here are some instructions from python.org From the download page, download the .dmg for Python. After installing, you should find Python in the Applications folder, and you can put the IDLE icon on the dock.

PyScripter

The PyScripter program is a much fancier program for writing and looking at Python programs than IDLE. We have been using it in class to watch programs running step by step. It is available for free from MMM-experts.