Python Programming for Biology

Python is available for every commonly used computer operating system including versions of Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and UNIX. With Windows you will generally have to download and install Python, as it is not included as standard. On most new Mac OS X, Linux and UNIX systems Python is included as standard (indeed some part s of Linux operating systems are themselves written with Python), although you should check to see which version of Python you have: typing ‘python’ at a command line reveals the version. For a list of website locations where you can download Python for various platforms see the reference section at the end of this book or the Cambridge University Press site: http://www.cambridge.org/pythonforbiology. Precisely because Python is available for and can be run on many different computer platforms, any programs you write will generally be able to be run on all computer systems. However, there are a few important caveats you should be aware of. Although Python as a language is interpreted in the same way on every computer system, when it comes to interacting with the operating system (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux …), things can work differently on different computers. This is a problem that all cross-platform computing languages face. You will probably come across this in your Python programs when dealing with files and the directories that contain them. Although each operating system will have its own nuances, once you are aware of the differences it is a relatively simple job to ensure that your programs work just as well under any common operating system, and we will cover details of this as required in the subsequent chapters. s of Linux operating systems are themselves written with Python), although you should check to see which version of Python you have: typing ‘python’ at a command line reveals the version. For a list of website locations where you can download Python for various platforms see the reference section at the end of this book or the Cambridge University Press site: http://www.cambridge.org/pythonforbiology. Precisely because Python is available for and can be run on many different computer platforms, any programs you write will generally be able to be run on all computer systems. However, there are a few important caveats you should be aware of. Although Python as a language is interpreted in the same way on every computer system, when it comes to interacting with the operating system (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux …), things can work differently on different computers. This is a problem that all cross-platform computing languages face. You will probably come across this in your Python programs when dealing with files and the directories that contain them. Although each operating system will have its own nuances, once you are aware of the differences it is a relatively simple job to ensure that your programs work just as well under any common operating system, and we will cover details of this as required in the subsequent chapters.