Python in 3 parts

TL;DR and the "no anxiety principle"

For the most part you can "just show up", but we do have to do a tiny bit of preparation ahead of time. And remember: Python is a fun language, while also being very useful, and we plan to have fun.

For the Python workshop we need to do some preparation ahead of time so that we do not waste time on the first day. We will write you with some time slots in the days before the workshop begins. In those sessions we will verify that you can share your screen (for debugging help) and that you have Python and a programming editor installed. You will need to attend one of those brief sessions.

These are the two preparation steps you need to take. They depend on what kind of operating system you run.

1. Install the Python interpreter. If you run Linux then everything is already installed. If you run Windows or MacOS then you should install Python following instructions at

   https://python.org/

2. Install a programming editor. If you already have a favorite then you should use that. If you do not then Geany is a reasonable choice and it runs on all platforms. You can get it at:

   https://www.fosshub.com/Geany.html

Motivation

Motivation for Python is simple: it's a language that is fun to program in, you really feel like using it, and it is also used for large scale serious work in many areas of computing. That is a rare combination of things.

We might have seen a bit of python, or had some exposure to programming in another language, or we might have never programmed but are curious.

In this course we will discuss both the detailed work of programming in python, as well as understanding how the language is framed in the context of computing in general: what problems it solves well, what libraries are available for it, and what aspects of the language make it useful for those tasks.

Any teacher in Santa Fe is welcome. Serious computing is a part of every academic field, so we hope to have participants from all areas, not just from physical and mathematical sciences.

So you are welcome! There is no cost, and to sign up just send an email to:

Mark Galassi <mark@galassi.org>

letting us know that you will participate. Call +1-505-629-0759 (voice only) with questions.

You should then prepare according to the instructions below. If anything seems daunting, please don't worry: it will unfold well.

Check this page for updates: some details might change or new information might appear here in the days before we start.

Resources

For this course we will not require much preparation. You will need a reasonable web browser to follow the videocon (modern versions of firefox and chromium/chrome should work - sometimes older safari has problems).