The material in this course uses the Anaconda distribution of Python 3. This distribution includes non-standard Python libraries that are required for some of the programming assignments.
The default Python version on the university Linux server is not the Anaconda
version. To make the Anaconda version the default for your user account, add
the following line to the file named ~/.bash_profile:
export PATH=/opt/anaconda3/bin:${PATH}
The ~/.bash_profile contains commands that are executed when
you login to the Linux server. For the change to take effect, logout and
then login again. You can verify that you are using the correct Python
version if you run the command
which python
with a result of
/opt/anaconda3/bin/python
The university Linux server only supports a command line interface for Python programs. Some of the programming assignments will require data visualization. These assignments need to be developed on a machine that supports a graphical interface. The machines in the labs and classrooms already have the Anaconda Python distribution installed.
If you want to work on your own machine, then you need to download the Anaconda Python distribution. The official download page is here: Anaconda Distribution. Make sure that you download the Python 3 version.