Can I trust downloading Python?

[Michael Torrie]

On 09/07/2013 07:17 PM, Aaron Martin wrote:
> Hi, I am thinking about getting a software but it requires python, so that
> brought up a few questions. Is it safe do download python, and does it come
> with spam or advertisements? If it doesn't then should I get the latest
> version? I mostly want to know if it is safe to download, because most of
> the time downloading free stuff off the internet comes with spam and all
> that, so I want to know if I can trust downloading it.

Yes if you download binaries from the official sources (python.org web
site) there is a reasonable assumption that the binary is free from
malware or viruses.  I've never heard of programmings coming with spam
before ;).  Usually that arrives unbidden in my inbox.

As for trusting python in general, I do trust the python developers, but
recent NSA revelations call just about all aspects of computing, trust,
and privacy into doubt.