The command line, also known as a shell, can help you modify and automate many of the tasks you do on a computer every day, and is an essential tool for software developers. That is, instead of clicking on buttons, you’ll be typing in text and receiving feedback from your computer through text as well. We’ll be completing most of our installation and set up on the command line, which is a non-graphical way to interact with your computer.
You will need a macOS computer with administrative access that is connected to the internet. This tutorial will guide you through installing Python 3 on your local macOS machine and setting up a programming environment via the command line. Python 3 is the most current version of the language and is considered to be the future of Python. Easy to set up, and written in a relatively straightforward style with immediate feedback on errors, Python is a great choice for beginners and experienced developers alike. First published in 1991 with a name inspired by the British comedy group Monty Python, the development team wanted to make Python a language that was fun to use. Python is a versatile programming language that can be used for many different programming projects.