Setting up the environment

Before talking about the installation of Python on your system, let us tell you about the Python version you will be using in this book.

Python 2 versus Python 3

Python comes in two main versions: Python 2, which is the older version, and Python 3, which is the most recent rendition. The two versions, though similar, are incompatible in some respects.

In the real world, Python 2 is now only running legacy software. Python 3 has been out since 2008, and the lengthy transition phase from Version 2 has mostly come to an end. Python 2 was widely used in the industry, and it took a long time and sometimes a huge effort to make the transition. Some Python 2 software will never be updated to Python 3, simply because the cost and effort involved is not considered worth it. Some companies, therefore, prefer to keep their old legacy systems running just as they are, rather than updating them just for the sake of it.

At the time of writing, Python 2...