CIS-2730, Lab #7: Anaconda

Reading: The first part of the book Python Crash Course, third edition, by Eric Matthes gives a good overview of the language.

In this lab, you will install the Anaconda Python distribution on your own system and write a short program that demonstrates it.

You will not need your BeaglePlay for this lab.

Part 1: Anaconda

Download the Anaconda distribution for your operating system. Anaconda is a Python distribution with an associated collection of curated packages. You do not need to install Python separately. However, if you have a Python already installed, Anaconda can coexist with it.
Run the Anaconda installer that you downloaded above. You can accept all the defaults.
To verify the installation, run the Anaconda Navigator program and launch the "CMD.exe" tile. This starts a console prompt with the base environment activated. Use the command python --version to see which version of Python is found. The latest Anaconda at the time of this writing comes with Python 3.11.7.
Use the exit command to close the console window. Close the Anaconda Navigator (for now).

Part 2: VSCode

There are many good Python development environments. If you have used Python before and have a development environment you like, feel free to continue using it. However, if you are unsure, I recommend Visual Studio Code.

Download and install Visual Stdio Code for your platform. There are versions for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Visual Studio Code has many extensions. To get a good editing experience, you will want to install a few Python extensions. I recommend the following: Python, Python Debugger, Pylance, and Jupyter. All of these extensions are published by Microsoft. You will find many other Python-related extensions available. Some are excellent, some are not. Some are for specialized needs. You can experiment with additional extensions if you wish, but the ones I mention here are the core extensions that are essential for Python development.

To install an extension, start VSCode and click on the extensions icon on the left edge of the window (it looks like a stack of boxes). Search for the extensions above and install them. Note that some additional extensions might be automatically installed as dependencies of the extensions you explicitly install. That is normal.
Close VSCode (for now).

Submission

There is nothing to submit. This lab is about getting set up for Python development. This lab is worth 10 points.