[Tutor] Installing Python 2.5.4 on Windows 8 Questions

[Steven D'Aprano]

Hi Kelvin,

My responses interleaved between your comments below.

On Mon, Aug 04, 2014 at 11:02:05PM -0500, Kelvin Baumgart wrote:
> My current OS is Windows 8 unfortunately. I'm definitely desiring to change
> this however for the time being I require an external DVD burner to obtain
> backups/OS before I can really progress. For the time being I'm recently
> someone who has an unparalleled drive towards becoming a programmer. I'd
> imagine seeing someone attempting to install an older version of Python may
> be out of the norm.

Installing an older version is a little unusual, but not unheard of. I 
myself have versions of Python going back to 0.9 installed.


> As my ambition to pursue skills I've began an online
> course on "Introduction to Computer Science and Programming" which is being
> taught through MIT. Their curriculum is centered on 2.5.4 however any 2.5
> or 2.6 versions are allegedly acceptable accordingly to the syllabus.

If you have a choice between 2.5 and 2.6, choose 2.6.


> I'm
> literally what you could consider an absolute novice who's just starting
> dabbling with this sort of thing, so please look past any naivety that
> probably engulfs this email.

You and half the people on this list :-)


> Essentially if you could help get started with
> installation by giving me professional input towards what OS or anything
> else relevant to my cause I will be greatly appreciative for your time and
> effort.

If you're familiar with Windows, stick to Windows. But, I think it's 
probably fair to say that Linux is a better OS for professional Python 
development than Windows is. That isn't to say that you cannot write 
Python code on Windows, just that it's a bit harder. With Linux, you 
have a much wider range of free, professional-quality tools that will 
make your life as a developer easier.

But, as a beginner, don't worry about that. Stick to what you know. You 
can always experiment later.

Do the MIT course notes assume you're using a specific editor? If so, 
you might like to use that one. Otherwise, you'll want a *good* editor. 
You can write Python code with Notepad, if you're desperate enough, it's 
just text, but you'll be more productive with a programmers editors. I'm 
not a Windows user, so I can't make any personal recommendations, but 
you can start here:

https://wiki.python.org/moin/PythonEditors

I've used geany (on Linux, not Windows), and can recommend it. I've also 
used Spyder (again, on Linux) but the version I used just felt sluggish 
and too "busy", but many people disagree. The beauty of starting with 
free, open source software is that it costs you nothing but a little bit 
of time to try it out.

If you have a scientific background, and are used to software like 
Mathematica that has "notebooks", you should consider using IPython.

As far as installing Python goes, you can get a bare-bones Windows 
installer from here:

https://www.python.org/download/releases/2.6.6/


If you feel brave enough to compile your own from source, and have a 
Windows C compiler, try this:

https://www.python.org/download/releases/2.6.8/

but if you have no idea what a C compiler is or how to use it, stick to 
the first link. Or, you can use a third-party package:

http://komodoide.com/komodo-edit/

although I don't know what version(s) of Python it supports. I hear good 
things about Komodo.


> Without saying I've browsed through the forms and FAQ yet I've
> haven't quite seen any particular thread that has these exact variables I
> face. I hope to hear back from you soon, and look forward to receiving
> guidance from those with expertise on such a trivial problem.

No problem at all! Feel free to ask any questions you may have.


-- 
Steven