Is Python a

Appendix AAPPENDIX AInstallation and Configuration1This appendix provides additional installation and configuration details as a resourcefor people new to such topics.Installing the Python InterpreterBecause you need the Python interpreter to run Python scripts, the first step in usingPython is usually installing Python. Unless one is already available on your machine,you’ll need to fetch, install, and possibly configure a recent version of Python onyour computer. You’ll only need to do this once per machine, and, if you will be runninga frozen binary (described in Chapter 2), you may not need to do it at all.Is Python Already Present?Before you do anything else, check whether you already have a recent Python onyour machine. If you are working on Linux, Mac OS X, and some Unix systems,Python is probably already installed on your computer. Type python at a shellprompt (sometimes called a terminal window), and see what happens. Alternatively,try searching for “python” in the usual places—/usr/bin, /usr/local/bin, etc.On Windows, check whether there is a Python entry in the Start button’s All Programsmenu (at the bottom left of the screen). If you find a Python, make sure it’sversion 2.5 or later; although any recent Python will do for most of this text, you’llneed at least version 2.5 to run some of the examples in this edition.Where to Fetch PythonIf there is no Python to be found, you will need to install one yourself. The goodnews is that Python is an open source system that is freely available on the Web, andvery easy to install on most platforms.639