Python & Terminal Setup (Student Guide)

You need this done before Lecture 04. It takes about 20 minutes.

1. Install Python

Install Python 3.10 or newer from the installer your institution provides, or search the web for "python download" and use the official result for your operating system.

Windows: run the installer; on the first screen tick Add Python to PATH, then Install Now.
macOS: use the installer and follow the defaults.
Linux: most distributions include Python 3 already; check with the command below.

Verify in a terminal (Terminal on macOS/Linux, PowerShell or CMD on Windows):

python3 --version
# Windows may use:
python --version

You should see something like Python 3.12.4. Any 3.10+ is fine.

2. Pick an editor

Pick one and stay with it all semester:

Option	Good for
IDLE (installs with Python)	simplest start; run with F5
VS Code (free; search "VS Code download")	comfortable editing + terminal in one window
Any plain-text editor + terminal	minimal, always works

In VS Code, install the official Python extension (search "Python" in the Extensions panel and take the one published by the Python Software Foundation / Microsoft-distributed build).

3. Run your first program

Create a file hello.py containing:

print("hello from cs-ds problem solving")

In a terminal opened in the same folder:

python hello.py      # or: python hello.py

Expected output:

hello from cs-ds problem solving

4. The interactive console

Typing python (no file name) opens the interactive console — a calculator on steroids where each line runs immediately:

>>> 2 + 3 * 4
14
>>> "cs" * 3
'cscscs'
>>> exit()

Use it to test tiny ideas before putting them in a file. This habit pays off in every case study of the course.

5. Minimal terminal vocabulary

Command	Meaning
`cd folder`	move into `folder`
`cd ..`	move one folder up
`dir` / `ls`	list files (Windows / macOS-Linux)
`python3 file.py`	run a Python file
`python`	open the interactive console

6. Troubleshooting

python not found (macOS/Linux): use python3; on Windows, if that opens the Microsoft Store, the PATH box was missed — reinstall and tick it.
can't open file 'hello.py': your terminal is in a different folder; cd to the folder first (or use your editor's "open terminal here").
Syntax errors everywhere: check you are editing .py files as plain text, not saving them as .py.txt from a word processor.

If stuck, bring the exact error text to the next lecture — reading error messages is a course skill, and we will practise it in Lecture 07.