Software Setup

Overview

This guide will walk you through installing the software you’ll need for the course. Before diving in it’s worth understanding what you’re about to do at a high level.

First, you’ll be sure your operating system is up-to-date. This ensures you have the latest security up dates as well as any functionality that may be expected in the software or tutorials we use.

Next, you’ll install the software needed to write your own programs in the course. In general, to write your own programs you need two kinds of software installed: a programming language toolkit and a text editor made for programming. For this course we’ll explore programming with the Python programming language and Visual Studio Code text editor. These are two of the most widely used tools of their kind in 2020 and are highly applicable beyond the scope of this course.

Finally, you’ll install the Zoom Web Conferencing software. Installing this app on your computer, rather than using the web version, will improve your experience and make it easier for you to share your screen with our course staff as needed.

Follow the instructions for your operating system, either Windows 10 or macOS.

Windows 10 Instructions

0. Update Your Operating System

As per the Carolina Computing Initiative requirements, Windows 10 Pro/Enterprise/Education is required.

Check your Windows Version by opening the start menu, typing winver, and pressing Enter. Look for Microsoft Windows Version 1900. If your Version is less than 1900, then you should update your operating system.

  1. Open the Start Menu
  2. Search for “Check for Updates”
  3. This will bring up a window named Settings and “Windows Update”. There is a button that says “Check for Updates”.
  4. Below the “Check for Updates” button, you should see a section that describes a “Feature update to Windows 10”. Follow its instructions.
  5. Repeat this same process after the feature updates install (and your computer reboots). If your operating system is behind on updates this can take two or three reboots and installed updates to complete.
  6. You will know you are up to date when there are no updates, nor feature updates, left to install.

1. Install (or Update) the Python Programming Language Toolkit

  1. Open the Python Website: https://www.python.org
  2. Select Downloads
  3. Look for “Download the latest version for Windows”
  4. Select the button that is “Download Python 3.8.3” (totally ok if the number is greater than 3.8.3! But if you already have a version of Python that is less than 3.8.3 please update to 3.8.3 or higher)
  5. Open the download once it completes and carefully follow the instructions below
    1. IMPORTANT Check the box on the first screen labelled “Add Python 3.8 to PATH”
      • Knowing exactly what this does is beyond your concern, but the short story is it makes it easier for other programs (such as your text editor Visual Studio Code) to make use of Python.
    2. AFTER ensuring the box of step #1 is checked, click Install Now
    3. Allow the installer to make changes if further prompted
    4. IMPORTANT On the “Setup was Successful” screen, click on “Disable path length limit”. Allow this change when prompted.
      • This is also outside your concern, but it removes a silly, old limitation on how long your project’s directory names and file names could be.
    5. Click the Close button to complete the Install.

2. Install the git Source Code Management Software (SCM)

  1. Open the Git website: https://git-scm.com
  2. Look for the button to “Download for Windows” (it is embedded in a monitor graphic)
  3. After the download begins open the installer
  4. Allow the app to make changes and install
  5. Press Next on the Information page
  6. Press Next on the Destination Location page (default is fine)
  7. Press Next on the Components page (defaults are fine)
  8. Press Next on the Start Menu Folder page
  9. Choose Visual Studio Code as Git’s default editor and press Next
  10. Press Next/Install on the remaining pages and accept the defaults

3. Install the Visual Studio Code Text Editor

  1. Navigate to https://code.visualstudio.com/
  2. Select the large Download for Windows button
  3. Open the downloaded installer after its download completes
    1. Accept the licensing agreement
    2. You’re asked where to install VS Code. The suggested location is OK. Press Next.
    3. You’re asked if you want to add VS Code to your start menu. That’s OK, too. Press Next.
    4. Important Under additional tasks, check all of the options available.
      • The gist of these options is they make it easier for you to open work in VS Code in a variety of contexts.
    5. At Ready to Install, select Install.

4. Install the Zoom Web Conferencing Software

  1. Downlaoad and Install Zoom: https://zoom.us/download
  2. IMPORTANT: After installing, be sure you Sign-in with SSO (Single Sign-on) Option
  3. Enter unc (.zoom.us) as the domain.
  4. Login with your ONYEN.

4. Reboot!

Before returning to the rest of the getting started steps, you should go ahead and reboot your computer right now. There are a few settings of the applications installed above that will not take effect until you reboot. Attempting to continue on at this point without rebooting will lead to strange errors later.

Once you’ve completed this, you’ve got the necessary software installed! If you are just getting started with the course, return back to Exercise 0 - Getting Started to continue!

macOS Instructions

0. Update Your Operating System

  1. Be sure you are running macOS Catalina:
    1. Click the Apple Icon in the top-left of your screen and select “About this Mac”
    2. If your macOS version is Catalina, continue on
    3. If you need to update to Catalina, open the App Store, search for Catalina, and install
  2. Be sure you have the latest updates to macOS Catalina:
    1. Click the Apple Icon in the top-left of your screen and select “System Preferences”
    2. Select “Software Update”
    3. If the box “Automatically keep my Mac up to date” is unchecked, check that box
    4. If there are any updates to install, install them

1. Install (or Update) the Python Programming Language

  1. Open the Python Website: https://www.python.org
  2. Select Downloads
  3. Look for the “Download latest version for Mac OS X”
  4. Select the button that is “Download Python 3.8.3” (totally ok if the number is greater than 3.8.3! But if you already have a version of Python that is less than 3.8.3 please update to 3.8.3 or higher)
  5. Open the downloaded package to begin the installer
    1. At Introduction screen: Continue
    2. At the Read Me screen: Continue
    3. At the License: Continue (Agree)
    4. At Installation Type: Install
    5. After Install completes, select Close
    6. If asked, move the installer to Trash

Alias the python command to refer to the version of Python you just installed:

  1. Use Finder’s Spotlight Search feature (Command+Space) to open the Terminal application
  2. Try typing python3 --version and pressing Enter to complete the line. You should see Python 3.8.3 printed out. If you don’t after installing Python as above, try rebooting your machine.
  3. Next you’ll alias the command python to mean the same as python3. By default on a Mac the command python means version 2 rather than 3. For professional programmers supporting old applications it can be useful to have both version 2 and 3 available. For your purposes, though, you can avoid a lot of frustration by ensuring you’re always working with the latest version which is what the next steps will achieve.
    1. Look in the title bar of your Terminal window, you should see your computer user name followed by an emdash and then either -zsh or -bash
      1. If you see -zsh write the following command in Terminal, being careful to match punctuation exactly:
      • echo "alias python=python3" >> ~/.zprofile
      • After pressing enter this command adds an alias to your .zprofile file which contains settings for how your terminal works. The details of this command are outside the scope of our concerns for the time being.
      1. If you see -bash write the following command in Terminal, being careful to match punctuation exactly:
      • echo "alias python=python3" >> ~/.bash_profile
      • After pressing enter this command adds an alias to your .bash_profile file which contains settings for how your terminal works. The details of this command are outside the scope of our concerns for the time being.
    2. Close your Terminal window and open a new one for this change to take effect and then try typing:
      • python --version
      • You should see Python 3.8.3 print and not Python 2.7.x. If you are still seeing version 2.0, try the first instruction again and restart your terminal once more.
      • Once this is working, you can close the Terminal.

2. Install the git Source Code Management Software (SCM)

  1. Open Finder’s Spotlight Search (the magnifying glass in your menu bar or press Command+Space)
  2. Search for Terminal and open it
  3. Type git --version and press Enter.
  4. If you see text displayed such as “git version 2.21.0)” then you already have git installed and can close the terminal and continue on
  5. If git was not already installed, you should see a pop-up window asking you to install Git / Developer Tools. Accept that install and follow its instructions through completion.

2. Install the Visual Studio Code Text Editor

  1. Navigate to https://code.visualstudio.com/
  2. Select the large Download for Mac button
  3. When you open this Zip download, it creates an application file named Visual Studio Code in your Downloads folder.
  4. Drag the Visual Studio Code icon into your Applications directory which you should see in the left-hand sidebar of the Finder window under Favorites. This “installs”
    • If you do not see the sidebar at all, then select the View Menu and Show Sidebar.
    • If you do not see Applications under Favorites in the sidebar, then select the Finder menu, the Sidebar Tab, and check the Applications entry. You should now be able to complete Step 4.
  5. Open Finder’s Spotlight Search again (Command + Space) and try searching for “Code”. You should see Visual Studio Code in the results. Open it and it will likely ask to confirm it’s OK to open a file downloaded off the internet. Accept.
  6. You should see Visual Studio Code open to a Welcome tab. If you do, you’re all set and can close it for now.

3. Install the Zoom Web Conferencing Software

  1. Downlaoad and Install Zoom: https://zoom.us/download
  2. IMPORTANT: After installing, be sure you Sign-in with SSO (Single Sign-on) Option
  3. Enter unc (.zoom.us) as the domain.
  4. Login with your ONYEN.

Once you’ve completed this, you’ve got the necessary software installed! If you are just getting started with the course, return back to Exercise 0 - Getting Started to continue!