To participate in the Python workshop you will need access to the software described below. In addition, you will need an up-to-date web browser.
Python is a popular language for scientific computing, and great for general-purpose programming as well. Installing all of its scientific packages individually can be a bit difficult, however, so we recommend the all-in-one installer Anaconda.
Regardless of how you choose to install it, please make sure you install Python version 3.x (e.g., 3.4 is fine). Also, please set up your python environment at in advance of the workshop.
Open https://www.anaconda.com/download with your web browser.
Download the Python 3 installer for Windows.
Double-click the executable and install Python 3 using MOST of the default settings, the only exception is to check Add Anaconda to my PATH environment variable.
Open https://www.anaconda.com/download with your web browser.
Download the Python 3 installer for OS X.
Install Python 3 using all of the defaults for installation.
To obtain the data we will be using, download the file transmittance.csv.
We will teach Python using the Jupyter notebook, a programming environment that runs in a web browser. Jupyter requires a reasonably up-to-date browser, preferably a current version of Chrome, Safari, or Firefox (note that Internet Explorer version 9 and below are not supported). If you installed Python using Anaconda, Jupyter should already be on your system (search for `Jupyter Notebook’). If you did not use Anaconda, use the Python package manager pip (see the Jupyter website for details.)
As a (not so great) alternative you can complete the tutorials in this course using the Binder service running through a web browser. Simply click on the “launch binder” button here: https://github.com/lucydot/empty_binder, wait a while whilst the virtual environment is created, and then click on Python 3 under Notebook.
Why is this a not-so-great alternative? Well firstly, the binder will time-out after a period of inactivity (about 15 minutes) and so you risk losing your work! Secondly, your work cannot be stored on Binder - so you will have to download if you would like to keep a copy. Thirdly, you cannot upload your work - so you have to start from scratch each time you use it. But still, if you cannot access Jupyter Notebook any other way - this is an option that requires only a web browser and internet connection.