How do I install Python?

Your computer may already have Python 2 or 3 installed (Mac systems are still coming with Python 2). This page has some instructions one how to check if Python is already installed on your Mac or Windows computer: https://www.datacamp.com/blog/how-to-install-python

There are some options for installing Python:

• Directly from Python - https://www.python.org/downloads/
  • For further information - BeginnersGuide/Download - Python Wiki
  • Using Anaconda (Python distribution and package management) -
    • Free Download | Anaconda
    • Anaconda - install information from Library Carpentry: Python Intro for Libraries: Summary and Setup (librarycarpentry.org)
• For Windows users: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/python/beginners
• You can also use a package manager, like Homebrew (listed below) to install Python.

The benefit of using a “Python distribution” like Anaconda is that it includes many popular modules as well as code editor and IDE options in one installation. However, if you would like more text editors or IDE options for editing your code you may want to download Python from Python.org and use another option for installing/managing packages.