About setting up a computer for programming and computing#
Setting up a computer for programming involves various tools and methods. Software can be categorized into:
Graphical applications (e.g., VSCode, Spyder),
Command-line applications (e.g., interpreters, compilers),
Libraries.
Installation can be done in different ways:
Using installers or package managers,
As administrator or regular user,
System-wide or in isolated environments.
Windows presents challenges for scientific computing. Microsoft’s solution, Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), involves installing Linux within Windows, adding complexity.
So how should you choose how to install software? Trust reliable sources:
Open-source communities (Linux distributions, programming languages, packaging projects),
Established companies (Microsoft with VSCode, Astral with UV, Prefix.dev with Pixi).
Let’s begin! Simply follow the instructions in the upcoming pages in the order presented.