Week 0 Unit 2: Installing Python and Jupyter
To participate in this course, you need to install Python and Jupyter Notebook.
Because computers are configured in many different ways (hardware, operating system, already installed software, �) it is not possible to explain in detail how Python and Jupyter Notebook are best installed on YOUR computer. However, we can explain which steps to go through and provide links to sources, which explain in more detail how to install the software, for example, based on the operating system you use.
We recommend you use the "pure" Python and the "pure" Jupyter Notebook. This involves two main installation steps. However, there are alternatives, like installing Anaconda, which installs both Python and Jupyter Notebook (and lots more) in one step.
Step 1: Installing Python
Go to the webpage https://www.python.org/downloads/ and choose the version which fits best to your computer. Take at least Python 3.9.
Important: If you use Windows, you must choose the option "Add Python 3.x to PATH", which is offered during the installation. In the default setting it is NOT chosen.
If you have questions about installing Python, we recommend the following: https://realpython.com/installing-python/
Step 2: Installing Jupyter Notebook
The installation of Jupyter Notebook is described on the following webpage: https://jupyter.org/install. To enter the commands, you must first open the cmd-shell, xterm, powershell, or whatever shell your computer offers. If you have not worked with a shell before, try to find a tutorial on the installation of Jupyter Notebook in Google or on YouTube.
Important: The above link https://jupyter.org/install also describes the installation of JupyterLab. JupyterLab is the successor to Jupyter Notebook. You can follow the course and work with JupyterLab as well. Although the interface is a little different, all the functionality contained in Jupyter Notebook is available.
Starting the Jupyter Server In the next unit we will show how the freshly installed Jupyter server is started and how Jupyter Notebooks can be used.