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I finally decided to do something I've been meaning to do for a couple years, namely learn Python. I opted for a Coursera course sponsored by IBM. They provide a "lab" that has everything you need to write and test code fragments in Python 3.
But now I'm at the point of wanting my own environment in my OS/X computer(s). My understanding is that OS/X distributes with Python 2, so if you want Python 3 you need some extra software. After skimming a couple recommended articles including at python.org, I've so far done the following:
- installed the Python 3.8.1 package from the Python website. This creates a Python 3.8 folder in your Applications folder that includes a development environment called IDLE and an application called Python Launcher which is the recommended way to run your *.py scripts.
- I also downloaded BBEdit because that seems to be highly recommended as a text editor / dev environment.
Now I'm stuck about how to wire various things up to have a nice smooth Python 3 experience so I have some rather basic questions. I have no IT person to go to since leaving my day job, so I'm hoping folks here are willing to help. Also I'll take unsolicited advice on editors and development environments, for this and other languages.
I used to be reasonably familiar with Unix (Linux) and emacs and wonder if going that route via the terminal would be useful, but I've forgotten a lot and not sure how to get back up to speed.
But now I'm at the point of wanting my own environment in my OS/X computer(s). My understanding is that OS/X distributes with Python 2, so if you want Python 3 you need some extra software. After skimming a couple recommended articles including at python.org, I've so far done the following:
- installed the Python 3.8.1 package from the Python website. This creates a Python 3.8 folder in your Applications folder that includes a development environment called IDLE and an application called Python Launcher which is the recommended way to run your *.py scripts.
- I also downloaded BBEdit because that seems to be highly recommended as a text editor / dev environment.
Now I'm stuck about how to wire various things up to have a nice smooth Python 3 experience so I have some rather basic questions. I have no IT person to go to since leaving my day job, so I'm hoping folks here are willing to help. Also I'll take unsolicited advice on editors and development environments, for this and other languages.
I used to be reasonably familiar with Unix (Linux) and emacs and wonder if going that route via the terminal would be useful, but I've forgotten a lot and not sure how to get back up to speed.