Resources for the second edition are here. I'd love to know what you think about Python Crash Course; please consider taking a brief survey. If you'd like to know when additional resources are available, you can sign up for email notifications here.
Setup Instructions: OS X
Checking your current version of Python
Python is probably already installed on your system. To check if it’s installed, go to Applications>Utilities and click on Terminal. (You can also press command-spacebar, type terminal, and then press Enter.)
Find out which version of Python is installed by issuing the command python --version:
$ python --version
Python 2.7.5
If you see something like this, Python 2.7 is your default version. You should also see if you have Python 3 installed:
$ python3 --version
Python 3.4.0
If you have Python 3.4 or later, it’s fine to start out by using the installed version. If you have Python 3.3 or earlier, it’s probably worth installing Python 3.5.
Installing Python 3.5
Install Homebrew, which makes it easy to install the most recent version of Python. Start out by installing some of Apple’s xcode tools:
$ xcode-select --install
The installation may take a while, depending on the speed of your connection. Next, install Homebrew:
$ ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"
If you run the command brew doctor, you can verify that the installation was successful:
$ brew doctor
Your system is ready to brew.
Now you can install Python packages through Homebrew. To install Python 3, enter the following command:
$ brew install python3
You can verify that Python 3 was installed correctly:
$ python3 --version
Python 3.5.0
You’ll use the python3 command when you configure your text editor, when you start a Python terminal session, and when you run programs from the terminal.
Installing Sublime Text
You can download an installer for Sublime Text by clicking on the OS X link at http://www.sublimetext.com/3. Sublime Text has a liberal licensing policy; it’s free as long as you want to use it, but the author requests that you purchase a license if you like the program and want to continue using it.
After you’ve downloaded the installer, open it and then drag the Sublime Text icon into your Applications folder.
Configuring Sublime Text for Python 3
If you use the simple command python to start a terminal session on your system, you shouldn’t have to configure Sublime Text at all. But if you use a command like python3 or python3.5, you’ll have to modify Sublime Text slightly so it uses the correct version of Python to run your programs.
Find the path to your Python interpreter:
$ type -a python3
python3 is /usr/local/bin/python3
Open an empty file in Sublime Text and save it as hello_world.py. The file should have one line in it:
print("Hello Python world!")
Go to Tools>Build System>New Build System, which will open a new configuration file. Delete what you see, and enter the following:
{
"cmd": ["/usr/local/bin/python3", "-u", "$file"],
}
This tells Sublime Text to use your system’s python3 command when running programs. Make sure you use the path you found when running type -a python3, not necessarily the path you see here. Save the file as Python3.sublime-build in the directory that Sublime Text opens when you choose Save.
Now you can run programs by selecting Build>Execute, clicking the Execute icon with a set of gears on it, or by pressing F5.