Setting up your Python environment

Before we move any further, let's go through a number of specifications regarding how to set up the necessary tools that you will be using throughout this book. In particular, we will discuss the process of obtaining a Python distribution for your system and an appropriate development environment, as well as how to download the code used in the examples included in the chapters of this book.

General setup

Let's look at the process of obtaining a Python distribution for your system and an appropriate development environment:

• Any developer can obtain their own Python distribution from https://www.python.org/downloads/.
• Even though both Python 2 and Python 3 are being supported and maintained, throughout this book we will be using Python 3.
• The choice of an integrated development environment (IDE) is flexible for this book. Although it is technically possible to develop Python applications using a minimal text editor, such as Notepad or TextEdit, it is usually...