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Pick CPython from python.org or a trusted package manager, and choose a current stable Python 3 version. Recognize why “Python 2” and a random system Python are not the right default for new work.
Use what you learned in the previous lesson to solve real-world problems.
Follow the Windows installer choices that matter, especially adding Python to PATH and using the Python Launcher. Confirm when to type `python` and when `py` is the safer Windows command.
Use `python3` on macOS or Linux without disturbing the operating system’s built-in tools. Compare the python.org installer, Homebrew, and your Linux package manager at a beginner-friendly level.
Check that your terminal can start Python and report its version. Use `python --version`, `python3 --version`, or `py --version` to catch missing installs or the wrong interpreter early.
Choose an editor meant for code, such as VS Code, PyCharm, Thonny, or IDLE, instead of a word processor. Compare what beginners need most: syntax highlighting, a run button, a terminal, and interpreter selection.
Check what you understood with a short quiz.
Connect your editor to the Python you installed so the run button and terminal agree. In VS Code-style workflows, select the interpreter and recognize when an editor is using the wrong Python.
Read the terminal prompt and move through folders with a few essential commands. Practice `pwd` or `cd`, plus `ls` on macOS/Linux and `dir` on Windows, without trying to memorize a full command-line course.
Create a small folder for your Python work and save files with the `.py` extension. Avoid confusing names like `python.py` and keep scripts somewhere you can find from both the editor and terminal.
Start the Python REPL and use the `>>>` prompt for quick experiments. Notice that the REPL runs one piece of code at a time, making it useful for trying ideas before saving them in a file.
Tell the difference between the Python prompt and your normal shell prompt. Exit the REPL with `exit()` or the right keyboard shortcut so you can run terminal commands again.
Save a simple `.py` file and run it from the terminal with `python file.py`, `python3 file.py`, or `py file.py`. Trace the difference between typing code into the REPL and asking Python to execute a saved script.
Use a tiny `print()` line to confirm that your script actually ran. Recognize that a program can finish correctly with no visible output if it never tells the terminal to display anything.
Diagnose common setup errors like “command not found,” “Python was not found,” and running the wrong file. Use version checks, folder checks, and interpreter selection before reinstalling everything.
Review this chapter with practice based on your mistakes.
