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Setting up python

This guide will help you set up Python 3.10 and JupyterLab on your local machine using Miniconda. We’ll also install core data science libraries.

Step 0: Opening a Terminal

Before we begin, you’ll need to know how to open a terminal (command-line interface) on your operating system:

For Windows:

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
  2. Type cmd and press Enter. Alternatively, search for β€œCommand Prompt” in the Start menu.

For macOS:

  1. Press Command + Space to open Spotlight Search.
  2. Type β€œTerminal” and press Enter. Alternatively, go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.

For Linux:

  1. Most Linux distributions use Ctrl + Alt + T as a keyboard shortcut to open the terminal.
  2. You can also search for β€œTerminal” in your distribution’s application menu.

Step 1: Download and Install Miniconda

For Windows:

  1. Download the Miniconda installer for Windows from the official website.
  2. Run the installer and follow the prompts.
  3. During installation, make sure to add Miniconda to your PATH environment variable when prompted.

For macOS:

  1. Download the Miniconda installer for macOS from the official website.

  2. Open Terminal and navigate to the directory containing the downloaded file.

  3. Run the following command:

    bash Miniconda3-latest-MacOSX-x86_64.sh

  4. Follow the prompts and accept the license agreement.

For Linux:

  1. Download the Miniconda installer for Linux from the official website.

  2. Open a terminal and navigate to the directory containing the downloaded file.

  3. Run the following command:

    bash Miniconda3-latest-Linux-x86_64.sh

  4. Follow the prompts and accept the license agreement.

Step 2: Set up Python 3.10 and Core Libraries

Open a new terminal or command prompt window to ensure the Miniconda installation is recognized.

Run the following commands:

conda install python=3.10
conda install jupyter jupyterlab numpy pandas matplotlib seaborn

This will install Python 3.10, JupyterLab, and the core data science libraries in your base environment.

Step 3: Verify Installation

  1. To verify that Python 3.10 is installed, run:

    python --version

  2. To launch JupyterLab, run:

    jupyter lab

This should open JupyterLab in your default web browser. You can now create new notebooks and start coding!

Additional Notes

  • To update Miniconda and installed packages in the future, use:

    conda update --all

  • While we’re using the base environment for this quick setup, it’s generally a good practice to create separate environments for different projects. You can explore this concept later as you become more familiar with conda.