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CourseNotes/GetPython.ipynb

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+    "This pages gives recipes on how to get  working on your own machine. It\n",
+    "is a based on *best effort* local experience and comes with no support.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "While we encourage you to get  working on your own machine and *play*,\n",
+    "remember that we will **only** marks checkpoints on the CPLab machines\n",
+    "and not your own laptops.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "You must transfer any code to the CPLab system (by USB Key or e-mail),\n",
+    "and make sure it works there before getting it marked.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "The best supported and comprehensive  environments is currently Anaconda\n",
+    "\n",
+    "This is free to download and install for *Windows* *Mac* or *Linux*.\n",
+    "This inclues a full  3.7 kit, the IDE *Spyder* and all the additional\n",
+    "libraries to could even want. It also includes *Juypter* and\n",
+    "*Juypter-Lab* and *VS Code* which you will not need in this course.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "The download and install is fully doumented in the above and should\n",
+    "basically *just work*. The download is very large and expands to a\n",
+    "couple of couple of GByte, but this is well with the capability of most\n",
+    "modern laptops / desktops.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "For *Windows* or *Mac* user we strongly recommend the *Spyder*\n",
+    "development environment; this given an editor to edit code and a console\n",
+    "to run code, this is actually a *IPython* console, but if you just *run*\n",
+    "it will work. *Spyder* also reads and write files is standard text so\n",
+    "you can easily transfer to/from CPLab with USB key.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "The *Spyder* environment has also been installed on the CPLab, but at\n",
+    "the moment it is still being developed, so it not recommended yet.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "The Mac is fundamentally a Unix machine, so you can tailor it to looks\n",
+    "very much like the CPLab Linux machines. Do do this you have t do the\n",
+    "following:\n",
+    "\n",
+    "## Install the X11 environment\n",
+    "\n",
+    "This is not installed by default, but is a free download from the Mac\n",
+    "Store and will autoinstall.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "-   In the Finder select Applications $\\rightarrow$ Utilities\n",
+    "    $\\rightarrow$ X11.  \n",
+    "    If this is installed it will start, if not it will take you to the\n",
+    "    Apple Store and will take you through the install, this is a large\n",
+    "    install as it includes other programming development tools.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "-   This is needed to display the Matlibplot graphics and it also gives\n",
+    "    you an *xterminal* which is just about identical to the terminal on\n",
+    "    the CPLab machines. You start this click on the X11 logo in the\n",
+    "    Toobar, then Aplication $\\rightarrow$ Terminal in the topbar.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "X11 is needed for all the orther free Unix utilities you may also wish\n",
+    "to install, for example XMGrace, xfig, gnuplot. You will find there on\n",
+    "your favourite download site.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "## Installing an Editor\n",
+    "\n",
+    "The default version of emacs in the Mac is *very limited* and only works\n",
+    "within the terminal window, so you will want to install something\n",
+    "*better*. Here you have choice…\n",
+    "\n",
+    "Emacs for X11: This gives you the same emacs as on the CPLab.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "-   Download from for example [a](http://emacsformacosx.com/)s a dmg and\n",
+    "    do the install.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "Emacs for Aqua: This gives you emacs but running via the Mac OSX own\n",
+    "window system (Aqua), rather than X11.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "-   Download from [.](http://aquamacs.org/)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "To run either of these select them from the Applications or Launchpad\n",
+    "screen and then Open File. If you want to run from the terminal as you\n",
+    "do in the CPlab, you will have to learn about `.bachrc` files and\n",
+    "`alias`, ask if you want to go there.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "Other Editors There are *many* other editors, play, talk to friends etc;\n",
+    "but remember some require *real money* or have limited *free trial*\n",
+    "periods after which you have to pay!\n",
+    "\n",
+    "A useful alternative is Xcode which is the full Apple development\n",
+    "environment which is free to download from the Mac Store. It is *huge*\n",
+    "and really designed to develop apps for *iPad*, *iPhone*, *iWatch* etc,\n",
+    "but it will also work as a simple  editor. xCode is however very\n",
+    "resource intensive and it only really works on a new fast Mac with lots\n",
+    "of memory, it also takes up about 3 Gbyte of disc!\n",
+    "\n",
+    "If you are already running Linux on your own machine then you already\n",
+    "have everything to need, or can simply add it with what ever package\n",
+    "manager come with your distribution. Here you also have an almost\n",
+    "infinite choice of editors, but again most people will want to\n",
+    "`emacs-X11` on their system.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "Note that some Linux distributions that follow the newest updates are\n",
+    "now using as the default, for example Fedora, but if you are that close\n",
+    "to the *bleeding*-edge you will already know this !"
+   ]
+  }
+ ],
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