Software Prerequisites

Prior to the workshop, it is vital that you install the following software on your laptop! There is little time during the workshop to deal with installation problems, so it makes the day run much more smoothly if you arrive with your software already installed.

Help!

We maintain a list of common problems that can occur during installation and ways of solving them. Take a look at the Configuration Problems and Solutions wiki page for help.

If you still have trouble, we will run a Software Installation surgery from 09.00 until 17.00 on Weds 16th September 2015. This will take place in room 3013 (Simon Hettrick’s office), Building 32, Highfield campus. You don’t need to make an appointment: just turn up.

Bash

Windows

Bash is provided as part of the Git for Windows installation described below. No explicit installation is required.

Mac OS X

The Bash shell is accessible via the Terminal application under Applications -> Utilities.

Linux

The Bash shell is accessible via the Terminal application.

Text Editor

You are free to use your preferred text editor. If you don't have one, we recommend:

Windows

Notepad++.

Mac OS X, Linux

Nano, which is terminal based and is installed by default. You can verify you have this installed by typing the following at a terminal:

nano

Whilst in Nano, press CTRL+X to exit (this will prompt you to save or discard any modified file).

Python

We teach with Python 3.4, since it is on a clear path to becoming the most widely used version. We will also employ the numpy and matplotlib libraries and the nose unit testing framework. Python3.4 Anaconda Installation provides all of these required libraries and frameworks.

Windows

Download the Python3.4 Anaconda installer. Double click the installer and follow the instructions.

Mac OS X

Download the Python 3.4 Anaconda MAC OS X Graphical installer. Double click the .pkg file and follow the instructions.

Linux

Download the Python3.4 Anaconda installation script. Install via terminal like this:

bash Anaconda3-2.3.0-Linux-x86_64.sh

Git

In this workshop we will work with remote Git repositories hosted at Github. You should create an account there before the event.

Windows

Download and install Git for Windows. You can accept the default installation options, with one exception - at the step ‘Configuring the terminal emulator to use with Git Bash’ you must select ‘Use Windows default console window’. In this workshop we will use Git via the Git Bash command line, installed as part of this package.

Mac OS X

On Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks and 10.10 Yosemite, Git will be installed automatically the first time you try to run it. Open a terminal and type:

git

Follow the prompts to install the Apple command line development tools.

On Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leoapard, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and 10.8 Mountain Lion, download and open the Git installer image. Double click the .pkg file and follow the instructions.

If you intend to use an earlier version of Mac OS X, please contact us before the event.

Linux

Install via a terminal like this:

Ubuntu 14.04LTS and derivatives:

sudo apt-get install git

Fedora 22:

su -
dnf install git

Verify your setup

All of the exercises in this workshop will take place at the command line via the Bash shell. In Mac OS X and Linux, this is your normal terminal environment. In Windows, the Git Bash shell has been installed and can be accessed via the Git entry in the Start Menu.

We provide a simple Python script to test that the prerequisites have been correctly installed. Close your existing terminal and reopen it. Now, retrieve and execute the test at the Bash prompt by typing (pasting) the following command:

Windows

curl -L http://goo.gl/HuPJu3 | python

Mac OS X, Linux

curl -L http://goo.gl/HuPJu3 | python3.4

You should see eight passes and no failures. If anything fails, please contact us (emailing s.crouch@software.ac.uk, j.robinson@software.ac.uk and d.inupakutika@software.ac.uk) with details by Weds 16 September at the latest.

During the workshop

We will make use of the Etherpad collaboration tool during the workshop (Etherpad allows a group to edit documents online collaboratively in real-time). Please use this to keep collaborative notes and ask (and answer!) each others questions.