Python is perhaps the world’s best-known programming language at this point in time. Python is the basis of what’s taught in software classes around the world, the language often used in machine learning modules and tasks, and the behind-the-scenes code powering many of our apps and services. Playing with Python on your own machine can be extremely rewarding if you feel like getting stuck into a bit of coding. While there are browser-based Python sandpits, giving Python your own environment to run in makes it a lot more powerful.
Installing new software can often feel like a tedious, time-consuming task. Many people are discouraged by the potentially long-winded process involved, whether it’s dealing with complex settings, navigating compatibility issues, or following multiple steps just to get started. Take, for example, a simple online casino game—operators have realized that players aren’t interested in spending unnecessary time downloading apps, which is why instant play casinos have become popular. Find them at NoDepositBonus.guide, which offers quick, hassle-free access without the need for lengthy installations.
Fortunately, installing Python isn’t nearly as complicated. In fact, Python is known for its straightforward setup process, regardless of whether you’re using Windows, Mac, or Linux. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the simple steps required to install and set up Python on your system, showing just how quick and easy it can be to get started with this powerful programming language.
1. Downloadable Installers
As most people will be used to doing, Python is available by downloading an installer, which automatically installs the software on your system. During the installation phase, there are options for where to install Python, whether to add certain variables to your environment, and whether to include particular libraries and other quirks. For most people, a basic installation will be fine to begin with.
Windows
Python is available for Windows as an installer in a 64-bit version, a 32-bit version and an ARM64 version, for the most coverage across chipsets. There are also embeddable package versions instead of the installer version, for those who prefer.
Mac
Python is available for the MacOS on the Python website as a 64-bit universal2 installer, which covers all the versions of the MacOS you could possibly imagine.
Linux
ActivePython for Linux is available for commercial and community versions of Python, as a managed version of Python for Linux, to keep the environment safe, up-to-date, and consistent.
2. Via the Command Line
The command line is a powerful tool – if you know how to use it. Using the command line you can easily bounce between Windows, Mac, and Linux without breaking a sweat or changing up any of your commands. For instance, you can use the bash (Bourne Again SHell) shell in Mac and Linux natively, and by easily installing it on Windows under either Git Bash (via Git for Windows) or the Windows Subsystem for Linux (wsl).
In fact, the Windows Subsystem for Linux gives users a fully-fledged Linux emulator right within Windows. Although this is outside of the bounds of today’s article, if you want to use Linux on Windows, wsl means that Ubuntu is ready to go any time you please.
Windows
If you want to install Python from the command line on Windows, then the easiest way to do it is by first installing Git Bash for your bash command line. Once that’s up and running, you can enter at the command ‘winget install Python.Python’ to install Python on Windows.
Mac
On Mac, if you have the bash shell up in your command line, make sure to install Homebrew so that you can add software packages to your machine. Once you’ve installed Homebrew, you can install Python simply by entering the command ‘brew install Python’.
Linux
Depending on your OS flavor and package manager, you’ll only need to run a command such as ‘sudo apt install Python3’ to install Python 3 on your Linux distribution via the bash command line. Of course, this varies depending on your command shell, Linux distribution, and package manager. If the above doesn’t work, make sure to search for your specifics to get it working.
A Note About Python
Python, just like any other software package, grows and evolves over time, plus gets critical security fixes. If you are not using an auto-updater, make sure to update your Python packages regularly to ensure that they are safe, useable, and compatible with other software products and libraries.
To make the most of Python, choose an IDE that makes development easy. For instance, Visual Studio Code is a development tool that makes it easier to get up and running with coding, integrating Python and other libraries, to create your own apps and services.
