Installation
Setting up Python on your computer would require installation of three components-the interpreter, an integrated development environment (IDE), and packages to support application development. Thankfully, we do not have to install these separately. There are software packages that bundle all three and a single installation makes the most available for use.
Python installers
There are two widely used options of installers that bundle the interpreter, an IDE, and useful Python packages:
- Option 1: Installers that bundle all three components are available for download from https://www.python.org. This website hosts the installers for several different versions of the language. The latest versions, at the time of writing this book, are Python 3.2.6 and Python 2.7.13. The installers come with a basic IDE that is a good place to write some code and get a feel of how the language works. Several packages such as the ones on file handling, memory management, mathematical computations, and...