Setup
To participate in a Software Carpentry workshop, you will need access to the software described below. In addition, you will need an up-to-date web browser.
We maintain a list of common issues that occur during installation as a reference for instructors that may be useful on the Configuration Problems and Solutions wiki page.
The Bash Shell
Bash is a commonly-used shell that gives you the power to do simple tasks more quickly.
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="shell-windows">Windows</h4>
<ol>
<li>Download the Git for Windows <a href="https://git-for-windows.github.io/">installer</a>.</li>
<li>Run the installer and follow the steps bellow:
<ol>
<!-- Git 2.6.1 Setup -->
<!-- Welcome to the Git Setup Wizard -->
<li>Click on "Next".</li>
<!-- Information -->
<li>Click on "Next".</li>
<!-- Select Destination Location -->
<li>Click on "Next".</li>
<!-- Select Components -->
<li>Click on "Next".</li>
<!-- Select Start Menu Folder -->
<li>Click on "Next".</li>
<!-- Adjusting your PATH environment -->
<li>
<strong>
Select "Use Git from the Windows Command Prompt" and click on "Next".
</strong>
If you forgot to do this programs that you need for the workshop will not work properly.
If this happens rerun the installer and select the appropriate option.
</li>
<!-- Configuring the line ending conversions -->
<li>
Click on "Next".
<strong>
Keep "Checkout Windows-style, commit Unix-style line endings" selected.
</strong>
</li>
<!-- Configuring the terminal emulator to use with Git Bash -->
<li>
<strong>
Select "Use Windows' default console window" and click on "Next".
</strong>
</li>
<!-- Configuring experimental performance tweaks -->
<li>Click on "Next".</li>
<!-- Installing -->
<!-- Completing the Git Setup Wizard -->
<li>Click on "Finish".</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
<p>This will provide you with both Git and Bash in the Git Bash program.</p>
</div>
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="shell-macosx">Mac OS X</h4>
<p>
The default shell in all versions of Mac OS X is Bash, so no
need to install anything. You access Bash from the Terminal
(found in
<code>/Applications/Utilities</code>). You may want to keep
Terminal in your dock for this workshop.
</p>
</div>
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="shell-linux">Linux</h4>
<p>
The default shell is usually Bash, but if your
machine is set up differently you can run it by opening a
terminal and typing <code>bash</code>. There is no need to
install anything.
</p>
</div>
Git
Git is a version control system that lets you track who made changes to what when and has options for easily updating a shared or public version of your code on github.com. You will need a supported web browser (current versions of Chrome, Firefox or Safari, or Internet Explorer version 9 or above).
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="git-windows">Windows</h4>
<p>
Git should be installed on your computer as part of your Bash
install (described above).
</p>
</div>
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="git-macosx">Mac OS X</h4>
<p>
<strong>For OS X 10.9 and higher</strong>, install Git for Mac
by downloading and running the most recent "mavericks" installer from
<a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/git-osx-installer/files/">this list</a>.
After installing Git, there will not be anything in your <code>/Applications</code> folder,
as Git is a command line program.
<strong>For older versions of OS X (10.5-10.8)</strong> use the
most recent available installer labelled "snow-leopard"
<a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/git-osx-installer/files/">available here</a>.
</p>
</div>
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="git-linux">Linux</h4>
<p>
If Git is not already available on your machine you can try to
install it via your distro's package manager. For Debian/Ubuntu run
<code>sudo apt-get install git</code> and for Fedora run
<code>sudo yum install git</code>.
</p>
</div>
Text Editor
When you’re writing code, it’s nice to have a text editor that is
optimized for writing code, with features like automatic
color-coding of key words. The default text editor on Mac OS X and
Linux is usually set to Vim, which is not famous for being
intuitive. if you accidentally find yourself stuck in it, try
typing the escape key, followed by :q! (colon, lower-case ‘q’,
exclamation mark), then hitting Return to return to the shell.
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="editor-windows">Windows</h4>
<p>
nano is a basic editor and the default that instructors use in the workshop.
To install it,
download the <a href="">Software Carpentry Windows installer</a>
and double click on the file to run it.
<strong>This installer requires an active internet connection.</strong>
</p>
<p>
Others editors that you can use are
<a href="http://notepad-plus-plus.org/">Notepad++</a> or
<a href="http://www.sublimetext.com/">Sublime Text</a>.
<strong>Be aware that you must
add its installation directory to your system path.</strong>
Please ask your instructor to help you do this.
</p>
</div>
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="editor-macosx">Mac OS X</h4>
<p>
nano is a basic editor and the default that instructors use in the workshop.
It should be pre-installed.
</p>
<p>
Others editors that you can use are
<a href="http://www.barebones.com/products/textwrangler/">Text Wrangler</a> or
<a href="http://www.sublimetext.com/">Sublime Text</a>.
</p>
</div>
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="editor-linux">Linux</h4>
<p>
nano is a basic editor and the default that instructors use in the workshop.
It should be pre-installed.
</p>
<p>
Others editors that you can use are
<a href="https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Gedit">Gedit</a>,
<a href="http://kate-editor.org/">Kate</a> or
<a href="http://www.sublimetext.com/">Sublime Text</a>.
</p>
</div>
Python
Python is a popular language for scientific computing, and great for general-purpose programming as well. Installing all of its scientific packages individually can be a bit difficult, so we recommend Anaconda, an all-in-one installer.
<p>
Regardless of how you choose to install it,
<strong>please make sure you install Python version 3.x</strong>
(e.g., 3.4 is fine).
</p>
<p>
We will teach Python using the IPython notebook, a programming environment
that runs in a web browser. For this to work you will need a reasonably
up-to-date browser. The current versions of the Chrome, Safari and
Firefox browsers are all <a
href='http://ipython.org/ipython-doc/2/install/install.html#browser-compatibility'>supported</a>
(some older browsers, including Internet Explorer version 9
and below, are not).
</p>
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="python-windows">Windows</h4>
<ol>
<li>Open <a href="http://continuum.io/downloads">http://continuum.io/downloads</a> with your web browser.</li>
<li>Download the Python 3 installer for Windows.</li>
<li>Install Python 3 using all of the defaults for installation <em>except</em> make sure to check <strong>Make Anaconda the default Python</strong>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="python-macosx">Mac OS X</h4>
<ol>
<li>Open <a href="http://continuum.io/downloads">http://continuum.io/downloads</a> with your web browser.</li>
<li>Download the Python 3 installer for OS X.</li>
<li>Install Python 3 using all of the defaults for installation.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="python-linux">Linux</h4>
</p>
<ol>
<li>Open <a href="http://continuum.io/downloads">http://continuum.io/downloads</a> with your web browser.</li>
<li>Download the Python 3 installer for Linux.</li>
<li>Install Python 3 using all of the defaults for installation.
(Installation requires using the shell. If you aren't
comfortable doing the installation yourself
stop here and request help at the workshop.)</li>
<li>
Open a terminal window.
</li>
<li>
Type <pre>bash Anaconda-</pre> and then press
tab. The name of the file you just downloaded should
appear.
</li>
<li>
Press enter. You will follow the text-only prompts. When
there is a colon at the bottom of the screen press the down
arrow to move down through the text. Type <code>yes</code> and
press enter to approve the license. Press enter to approve the
default location for the files. Type <code>yes</code> and
press enter to prepend Anaconda to your <code>PATH</code>
(this makes the Anaconda distribution the default Python).
</li>
</ol>
</div>
R
R is a programming language that is especially powerful for data exploration, visualization, and statistical analysis. To interact with R, we use RStudio.
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="r-windows">Windows</h4>
<p>
Install R by downloading and running
<a href="http://cran.r-project.org/bin/windows/base/release.htm">this .exe file</a>
from <a href="http://cran.r-project.org/index.html">CRAN</a>.
Also, please install the
<a href="http://www.rstudio.com/ide/download/desktop">RStudio IDE</a>.
</p>
</div>
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="r-macosx">Mac OS X</h4>
<p>
Install R by downloading and running
<a href="http://cran.r-project.org/bin/macosx/R-latest.pkg">this .pkg file</a>
from <a href="http://cran.r-project.org/index.html">CRAN</a>.
Also, please install the
<a href="http://www.rstudio.com/ide/download/desktop">RStudio IDE</a>.
</p>
</div>
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="r-linux">Linux</h4>
<p>
You can download the binary files for your distribution
from <a href="http://cran.r-project.org/index.html">CRAN</a>. Or
you can use your package manager (e.g. for Debian/Ubuntu
run <code>sudo apt-get install r-base</code> and for Fedora run
<code>sudo yum install R</code>). Also, please install the
<a href="http://www.rstudio.com/ide/download/desktop">RStudio IDE</a>.
</p>
</div>
SQLite
SQL is a specialized programming language used with databases. We use a simple database manager called SQLite in our lessons.
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="sql-windows">Windows</h4>
<p>
The <a href="/windows-installer">Software Carpentry Windows Installer</a>
installs SQLite for Windows.
If you used the installer to configure nano, you don't need to run it again.
</p>
</div>
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="sql-macosx">Mac OS X</h4>
<p>
SQLite comes pre-installed on Mac OS X.
</p>
</div>
<div class="col-md-4">
<h4 id="sql-linux">Linux</h4>
<p>
SQLite comes pre-installed on Linux.
</p>
</div>
If you installed Anaconda, it also has a copy of SQLite
without support to readline.
Instructors will provide a workaround for it if needed.