2. Installation
In this lesson you will learn how to set up your environment to start coding in Python.
So what do I need to program?
Installing Python
First thing we need to do is install Python. To install Python go to https://www.python.org/downloads/.
Make sure you download and install Python for your OS, Operating System.
Next you need to choose an IDE.
Installing An IDE
Technically all you need to write code is a text editor like notepad but programmers often use an IDE, Integrated Development Environment. IDEs provide lots of tools that help you as a programmer write better code and increase productivity. Depending on your IDE you will have different tools available to you but generally all IDEs help you navigate through files, autocomplete code, provides warnings as you type, have integrated debugging, and more. There are tons and tons of IDEs to choose from and below you can see a list of some you can choose from but feel free to do your own research to find the IDE best for you.
Pycharm
Pycharm is an all in one package IDE developed by JetBrains. They have two tiers to pick from, professional (paid) and community (free). If you are currently a student, you can apply for the professional version for free through Github's student pack. Pycharm may be a little overwhelming for beginners as it has all the features and lots of windows.
VS code
VS code or Visual Studio Code was developed by Microsoft. Built on Open Source, VS Code is free and priorities extensions. It can run any programming language and is highly customizable. This is what I personally use (this website was developed on VS Code!) and I recommend using this as it is simple to use and customizable.
Jupyter
Jupyter is free, open-source, and supports over 40 programming languages, including Python. Unlike other IDEs, Jupyter has a notebook interface which means you can type notes, just like you would on Google Docs or Word, alongside your code.
Replit
Replit is a free online IDE that supports many languages. The nice thing about Replit it is that it is completely online so you don't have to install anything and can access your code from any browser, but this means that in order to run your code you have to have an internet connection and you have to create an account. Replit is an amazing option if you just want to start without installing anything but be warned since it is free there are limitations and the code takes awhile to run.
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