Development Environment

Python Environment Installation

Installing Python

Windows Installation

1. Download Python

   • Visit the Python official website
   • Download the latest Python 3.x version
   • Run the installer, remember to check "Add Python to PATH"

2. Verify Installation

   python --version
   pip --version

macOS Installation

1. Using Homebrew (Recommended)

   brew install python

2. Or download the official installer

   • Download the macOS installer from the official website
   • Double-click to install

Linux Installation

Most Linux distributions come with Python pre-installed, or you can use a package manager:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3 python3-pip

# CentOS/RHEL
sudo yum install python3 python3-pip

Comparison: JavaScript Environment

Environment	JavaScript	Python
Runtime	Node.js	Python Interpreter
Package Manager	npm/yarn	pip/conda
Version Manager	nvm	pyenv
Virtual Env	Project-level node_modules	venv/conda

Development Tools

Recommended Editors

• VS Code: Cross-platform, supports Python extensions
• PyCharm: Professional Python IDE
• Jupyter Notebook: For data science and interactive programming

Essential Extensions

Recommended extensions for VS Code:

• Python
• Python Extension Pack
• Python Indent
• Python Docstring Generator

Your First Python Program

Hello World

Let's start with the classic "Hello World":

# hello.py
print("Hello, World!")

Comparison with JavaScript:

// hello.js
console.log("Hello, World!");

Running the Program

Running from the command line

python hello.py

Running interactively

python
>>> print("Hello, World!")
Hello, World!
>>> exit()

Basic Syntax Comparison

Feature	JavaScript	Python
Statement End	Semicolon (optional)	Newline
Comments	// or /* */	# or """
Strings	Single or double quotes	Single or double quotes
Indentation	Optional	Required

Variables and Output

# Python
name = "Alice"
age = 25
print(f"Hello, {name}! You are {age} years old.")

// JavaScript
const name = "Alice";
const age = 25;
console.log(`Hello, ${name}! You are ${age} years old.`);

Exercises

1. Create a Python file that prints your name and age.
2. Try running simple calculations in the Python interactive environment.
3. Compare the syntax differences between Python and JavaScript.

Next Steps

Now that you have a basic Python environment set up, we will learn about variables and data types.