Throughout the semester, we will be using a text editor to write and revise Python scripts, then we will be running those scripts from the command-line using the Python command-line utility. This exercise helps you install these tools.
Later-on, we will need to install and familiarize ourselves with additional tools like Git and Vim, but that would be too much to handle right now, so for the moment let's just focus on doing the minimum to get Python up and running.
Alright, let's install a text editor! To make the coding process easier, we want an editor which includes syntax auto-completion functionality for the Python language.
This means the pre-installed applications like TextEdit (Mac OS) and Notepad (Windows OS) don't have enough functionality to support our needs. Conversely, word processing software like Microsoft Word won't do either because they save files with hidden information besides just the text.
So, enter the world of programming-class text editors. The officially recommended and supported text editor for this course is Atom, however viable alternatives include Sublime, Notepad++, and VS Code. Really, these are all quality editors. If you already have a text editor installed and you know what you are doing, there is no need to install another, however it may be helpful to install multiple options and compare them to see which you prefer. After all, this course is about learning and broadening your perspective.
After installing one or more text editors, start playing around with different options, settings, and third-party packages which provide extra functionality. If using Atom, you should be able to download packages from the "Settings > Install" menu, and view and configure them from the "Settings > Packages" menu. One recommended package to install is called "Sublime-Style-Column-Selection", which enables vertical text selection. This functionality, as the package name suggests, should also be available in Sublime.
Hopefully your text editor configuration will boost your coding productivity and you will grow to like your text editor very much.
If you haven't already gotten familiar with command-line computing, this would be a great time.
Finally, install Python (version 3.6.x).
Nice job, you're now ready to start learning Python! 🐍