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Introduction

Python is a programming language that is meant to be highly readable and relatively easy to learn. It is not quite easy as Ruby, but Python fit useful for many specific applications, such as image processing.

Guido van Rossum created Python in 1991 by.  Van Rossum was trained as mathematician,  and the Python language reflects his background. Python is useful for many applications, and has many libraries written for it, often making your task as a programmer easier. Python is a mathematically robust, versatile language, especially for applications that do not require extreme speed or high performance.

This course is being initially written for computers that use Linux or Unix. Other operating systems might be added in the future.

Using Python

To use Python, you need way to create programs and then to run them. (You can also run pre-existing programs). You can write Python programs in most text editors. However, you will need Python installed on your computer to run those programs.

Your computer might already have Python. To find out, open a terminal window and type the following command.

python -v

If you have Python installed, the version and other information will be returned. If not, you will need to install Python. Get Python from this link:

Python.org

After installing Python, try out the above command to confirm that Python is installed and working. If not, follow the instructions on the Python.org site (or try web searching for any error messages that you receive).

Further Reading

• Python (Wikipedia)
• Python Programming Language (U. of Michigan)

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