Before we can write code, we need the right tools. We'll ne installing two things here: the Python itself, so we can actually run our scripts, and something called an "IDE", or Integrated Development Environment, that is basically a program that will allow us to easily write, modify and run our scripts, manage our projects, etc.

If you're on LINUX, chances are that python is already installed in our machine and you can test it by running python3 --version on your terminal. Notice that, on Linux, the command will be "python3" and not just "python".

Step 1: Install Python

1. Go to python.org.
2. Click Downloads and choose the latest Python 3.x version.
3. During installation, make sure to tick Add Python to PATH — this makes it easier to run Python from the terminal.

💡 From Python 3.4 onwards, PIP (the Python package manager) comes included, so you don’t have to install it separately.

Step 2: Install Visual Studio Code

1. Visit code.visualstudio.com.
2. Download and install it like any other program.

VS Code is our coding playground — it’s lightweight, fast, and has great Python support.

Step 3: Verify Installation

Open your terminal (Command Prompt on Windows, Terminal on macOS/Linux) and type:

python --version
pip --version

You should see version numbers for both. If you get an error, something went wrong in the installation.