If everything is OK, you'll just get the Python prompt back with no message. Assuming that you have gotten the Python prompt, to find if you have numpy, just type If you get the prompt, it will also tell you what version of Python you have, and what version of the compiler it was built with (which matters for a few compiled add-on modules). (or, it is installed, but the location isn't in your default search path for finding commands).
If the computer complains that the command wasn't found, then python isn't installed. This will bring you into the python interpreter, and you will get a python prompt.
To find whether you have Python, and which version, open a terminal window (that's any window on Linux, and the window you get with either the Terminal utility or x11 on Mac) and typeįollowed by a return, at the prompt.
If you have a pre-installed version, that's enough to get you started with the language, but chances are you'll soon want to scroll down to the Installing Python heading below, and learn how to install a customized version.
As far as I am aware, Windows never comes shipped with Python, so the following instructions in this topic apply only to Mac and Linux. Nonetheless, to get started learning the language, and for doing basic computations, the pre-installed versions are fine. On Mac OS10.6 and higher you also have to keep in mind that the pre-installed version is 64-bit, and so will only work with compiled add-on modules that are also 64-bit (most of the courseware modules and chapter scripts will work fine, though, since only a few of these require compiled add-ons). On a Mac, and to a lesser extent on Linux, it is recommended that you do a separate Python installation of your own, so you have better control of which version you are using and so you don't have to mess with stuff in the operating system directories. Most Linux systems also come with a complete and usable Python installation.
It is highly recommended to do a fresh installation, so most users should just skip to the next section.Īll Mac OSX operating systems since 10.4 come shipped with a version of Python installed, and the versions since 10.5 are very complete, generally including both numpy and idle.
This section is only for Mac and Linux users who want a quick-start without needing to do a Python installation of their own. If you are using Python by logging into a server, you will need x11 on your own machine in order to use idle, or indeed to see any graphics on your own screen.
Mac OS X comes shipped with both x11 and its native windowing system the current versions of Python for the Mac use the native windowing system to run idle, and Windows implementations also use the native Windows windowing environment. This is useful, because it allows idle to be run on a server but put up a window on your own computer over the network. On Linux systems, idle uses the x11 windowing system, which is also the native windowing system for Linux. You do not need to install a graphics package to run idle, since any modern computer will have a suitable windowing system. idle needs to be run in a windowing environment that displays graphics. You can write scripts using any text editor you like, and run them using the basic command-line interpreter, but almost all installations of Python come with a very nice integrated development environment called idle, which offers a smarter interpreter window and also an easy-to-use editor that's aware of Python syntax. For basic information on starting up the python interpreter and writing and running scripts, see Learning Python. In order to display graphics within Python, you will also need to install a graphics package, as described under Graphics. Installation and use of the courseware modules is described under Courseware. This page deals only with the basic Python installation. To run the courseware, you need to install python and the array-handline package numpy. That should be just about everybody, but I have retained this page in case Enthought stops making their distribution available without charge, and also for users who might want some additional information about what parts of a Python installation are actually used by the courseware.
Note: This page has not been updated, and is not needed by users who are using the Enthought distribution described under Quick Start or Python.