Python Data Science

Python for Absolute Newbies

Python installation, pip, and some basic functionality

· Zhejian Peng · 4 min read

这篇文章会从安装 Python3.7 开始讲起。 接下来的主题会渐渐集中讲一些 Data Science 的一些应用和建模方法。 使用 macOS Mojave.

Zen of Python

Python was designed as a successor to the ABC language by Guido van Rossum. Python was initially developed as a “hobby” project that would keep him occuiped during the Christmas break! I mean who would spend their Christmas writing an interpreter!

Eventually, Python become one of the top used programming language today. Python can be used for all kinds of projects from small personal project to large application, and from web development to scientific computation. Here are some famous projects used Python, according to this article

  • YouTube
  • Google search engine also used Python for its mainframe
  • Instagram
  • Reddit

Let’s start this tutorial with the Zen of Python:

Type this into the Mac terminal.

python
>>> import this

Install Python3.7

Let’s see how to install Python3.6. Mac come with default python2.7 installed. We want to use Python3.7 here.

I found the easiest way here is to install through Anaconda Distribution (Click this link to download directly!)

You can also install through python.org.

Please also install VS Code come with Anaconda. I will talk about Visual Studio Code later. If you installed through python.org, please also install Visual Studio Code separately.

Once you have Python3.7 installed, you should be able to see this in terminal

~ » python3.7
Python 3.7.0 (v3.7.0:1bf9cc5093, Jun 26 2018, 23:26:24)
[Clang 6.0 (clang-600.0.57)] on darwin
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.

Congrats! You know have the latest version of Python ready!

Virtual Environment

Do use a virtual environment, PLEASE!!! Virtual environment allow you to separate your developing environment without interfering with the system.

I want you to have the best programming habit from the beginning. I learned this the hard way.

Lets try to setup virtual environment using virtualenv.

First go to home directory and create a directory Environment to store all your virtual environments

~ » cd ~
~ » mkdir Environment
~ » cd Environment

Then install virtualenv and create a new virtual environment named it python_tutorial

~ » pip install virtualenv
~ » virtualenv ~/Environment/python_tutorial

Activate python_tutorial. Now type which python3. It will return the path to the virtual environment.

~ » source ~/Environment/python_tutorial/bin/activate
~ » which python3
/Users/zhejianpeng/Environment/python_tutorial/bin/python3

Deactivate python_tutorial environment

~ » deactivate

Now every time before you start coding, remember to activate the virtual environment. It’s recommended to create a short alias of the activation command and add it to ~/.bash_profile. You don’t have to type the long version.

~ » code ~/.bash_profile
# User Define Alias, add following line to your bash_profile
alias tutorial='source ~/Environment/python_tutorial/bin/activate'

Here you need to install code command. It’s very easy. Open VS code you installed previously, and type shift + command + p. Then type The VS Code command palette

Now you have the basic environment setup!!! Let’s start coding

Hello World

Comments

Loading…
Jazzik