Programming with Bliepo 0 – programming is easy (short intro) + installing Python
Introduction – programming is easy!
"If I could just make a program for it... that would have been great." How many people have not though something like this at some point in their lives? Maybe they needed to complete a task, but were unable to find a program for it. Maybe they had a (brilliant) idea for a program. Maybe they are frustrated using a certain program wishing they could make their own. Whatever the reason, I am certain many people have at some point wanted to make their own program. But most people never make a program. To them, programming is something like magic or Russian: they will never be able to understand it, so why bother?
The truth is a bit different however. Many programming languages are actually quite easy to use, some are even designed for kids! In the programming tutorials I will be writing, we will be using Python. Python is a nice programming language – it is easy to learn, well-designed and thought through, yet powerful enough to accomplish almost any task. I will start with the basics and gradually move on to more advanced topics, like image processing.
Installing Python
In this tutorial, we will be installing the enthought edition of python. I will be handling the installation on Windows 7, it can be used with other windows versions and even be used with linux or Mac.
Off course, the first thing we will need to do is download the python enthought edition. It can be downloaded at Enthought, Inc :: EPD Free installers. Once you’re done downloading, start the installation by opening the executable. The installer will display the installation agreement. Read it and check the box if you accept the terms, or abort the installation if you don’t accept them. The installer will then request to select a destination directory - you are free to choose one yourself, but the default is fine. If you don’t know what to do, just click next. The next dialog will ask you whether you want to install shortcuts to the desktop and/or the quick launch bar. Check or uncheck whichever you desire and click finish. Congratulations, you just installed Python!
Now go to the start menu, look for “enthought” and click on “IDLE”. A python shell will open. Type print “Hello world!” (and hit enter), to see if it works. If it displays “Hello world!”, it works!
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