Intro to Programming and Data Analytics with Python

The best way to write and run Python scripts is using an install called "Anaconda".

Python itself comes as a set of software which can be downloaded from the Python website, but there are also a wide variety of libraries that almost anyone working with Python will want, along with software to help you write code (called "Integrated Development Environments" or IDEs). Anaconda bundles all these up with the core Python software in a way that makes it very easy to use.

First and foremost, Python comes in two, incompatible, versions: 2 and 3. Anaconda installs both, and lets you flip between them (same for iPython Notebook), but uses one version as the default. It is better to get used to 3 if you are starting, as this is the latest. You can find a list of the differences here -- you will eventually need to get your head around them as there is plenty of old version 2 code out there.

If you don't yet have Anaconda, download the appropriate version 3 for your machine (if you don't know whether your machine is 32 or 64 bit, and your machine is modern, try the 64 bit version) now, and install it. You'll be asked if you want to install it for yourself, or everyone on a machine; for machines in a computing lab, just install it for yourself, and use the default location.