Python Get Started

Getting started with Python means installing the interpreter, choosing an editor, and learning how to execute a .py file. Python ships pre-installed on macOS and most Linux distros; on Windows you grab it from python.org. Once installed, two commands cover 95 % of your workflow: python --version to verify it's working, and python yourfile.py to run a script.

Windows: Download the installer from https://python.org/downloads — check Add Python to PATH before clicking Install Now.

macOS: brew install python (recommended) or use the python.org installer.

Linux: It's almost certainly already installed. Run python3 --version to check.

Verify your install in a fresh terminal:

bash
python --version       # or: python3 --version

1. Install Visual Studio Code: https://code.visualstudio.com
2. Install the official Python extension from Microsoft (Ctrl+Shift+X → search Python).
3. Open any folder, create a new file hello.py, and VS Code will offer to pick the interpreter. Optional but recommended: also install Pylance for smart auto-complete and Python Indent for clean blocks.

Create a file called hello.py and paste:

python Run in compiler
# hello.py — your first Python program
print("It works!")
print("Today's lesson:", "Get Started")

Method 1 — Terminal (works everywhere)

bash
python hello.py

Method 2 — VS Code Run button (top-right ▶ triangle once Python extension is installed).

Method 3 — Codekilla compiler at /compiler — paste, click Run.

It works!
Today's lesson: Get Started

Run python with no arguments to drop into the interactive shell:

>>> 2 + 3
5
>>> name = "Asha"
>>> f"Hello, {name}"
'Hello, Asha'
>>> exit()

The REPL is amazing for prototyping. Ctrl+D (Linux/macOS) or exit() leaves the shell.

Always isolate project dependencies with a virtual environment:

bash
python -m venv .venv         # create
source .venv/bin/activate    # macOS / Linux
.venv\\Scripts\\activate     # Windows
pip install requests         # installs only into this venv

• Verify your install with python --version (or python3 --version).
• Run any script with python yourfile.py.
• VS Code + Python extension is the fastest beginner setup.
• The REPL (python with no args) is your live calculator.
• Use python -m venv .venv for every new project — keeps dependencies tidy.

1. Install Python and confirm python --version shows 3.10 or higher.
2. Create intro.py that prints your name and the current date (from datetime import date; print(date.today())).
3. Open the REPL and compute (1024 ** 2) — confirm it's 1,048,576.

• Close and reopen any terminal that was running before you installed Python — PATH only refreshes on new shells.
• On Windows, save files with .py extension — Notepad sometimes secretly adds .txt.
• Never edit Python files in Microsoft Word — it adds invisible characters that break the parser.