We will be writing Python code in this class. Although Python code can be written in any generic text editor, or in one of a number of integrated development environments (IDEs), it is often beneficial for development teams to all program in the same environment, so I require that everyone install the PyCharm IDE for this class.
You will also need the Git version control system for submitting code and managing group projects.
Please set up your environment prior to class on Friday.
If you do not already have Python 3 installed on your computer, go to python.org, download the latest version (3.9.1 as of writing this), and run the installer.
There are two versions of PyCharm, the professional version and the community version. The community version is free, wheras the professional version requires a license. As a student you can apply for a free educational license for the professional version if you wish, but the community version will also work just fine for this class. The professional version adds some features for web development, databases, and scientific computing.
Go to the PyCharm download page, choose the version you would like, and install.
Here the process is a bit different between Windows and macOS.
On macOS, Git comes with the Xcode command line tools package. This package must be installed separately from Xcode itself. To see if you already have it installed, open up the Terminal application and run the command git. If Git is already installed you will see a usage message. If not, a window will pop up asking if you want to install the Xcode command line tools. Install them now if this happens.
There are a number of ways to go about installing Git on Windows. One is to install the standard Git installation. PyCharm will detect this, and you will be able to use Git from within PyCharm. You can download the standard Git installation here: https://git-scm.com/
You can also use Git on the command line from within the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). It appears that PyCharm can now also detect and use Git from within WSL2.
We will be using GitHub this semester, so if you do not already have a GitHub account, head over to github.com and create one. Note that GitHub is different from git-keeper, so you will need a GitHub account even if you have used git-keeper in my classes before.
GitHub is a nice arena to showcase projects that you have worked on to potential employers when you start interviewing for jobs. As such, it is wise to choose a GitHub username that you will be comfortable showing a potential employer.