Installing and configuring Python can be a daunting first hurdle for budding programmers. Below are links to instructions for getting started on various operating system. In addition, check out the Package Installer section for info on setting up an installer for 3rd-party Python packages.

Generally, most versions have Python pre-installed

• Ubuntu -- as of 11.10, came pre-installed with Python 2.7
• CentOS -- tends to lag significantly behind latest Python versions; you may need to install a newer version

• Pip, virtualenv and GitHub on the Mac

• Setting Up Python in Windows 7
• Unofficial Windows Binaries for Python Extension Packages
• Python on Windows
• Alternate Windows Instructions

There are a number of ways to install 3rd-party libraries for Python. Generally, the easiest method is to use a package manager that can also handle the downloading/installation of dependencies (additional libraries that a particular module might depend on). Below are the two standard package managers for Python:

• easy_install - the classic package manager that is part of the setuptools library
• easy_install instructions for windows
• pip, the emerging standard for Python package management