Python 3 For Mac
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- Python is now in version 3.5, and yet your Mac is still shipping with Python 2.7. If you have a need to use Python 3, here's how to use Python 3 on Mac.
- Python is now in version 3.5, and yet your Mac is still shipping with Python 2.7. If you have a need to use Python 3, here's how to use Python 3 on Mac.
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- Python for Mac 2019 full offline installer setup for Mac Python for Mac is a dynamic object-oriented programming language that can be used for many kinds of software development. It offers strong support for integration with other languages and tools, comes with extensive standard libraries, and can be learned in a few days.
- I generally use Python 2.7 but recently installed Python 3.5 using Miniconda on Mac OS X. Different libraries have been installed for these two versions of python. Now, the entering either of the keywords 'python' or 'python3' in terminal invokes python 3.5, and 'python2' returns '-bash: python2: command not found'.
When you get a brand-new Mac, you might assume it’s loaded up with brand-new software. And for most apps, you’d be right. For underlying frameworks, however, it’s a different story. Brand-new Macs fresh from the factory floor still ship with Python 2.7.10, even though the most recent stable release is Python 3.6.1. This might seem like a pretty significant gap between versions, and that’s because it is. But newer isn’t always better. Python 2 is still the default language, but that’s likely to change in the coming years.
2to3 or not 2to3?
It’s natural think that Python 3 is better because it’s newer. They wouldn’t be totally wrong: Python 3 includes some cool new features that Python 2 lacks. However, alongside those new features, Python 3 also has a problem. It’s not backwards compatible with Python 2. That means that programs written for a Python 2 interpreter won’t run on a Python 3 interpreter. Even fundamental commands like print
and integer comparison work differently between Python 2 and 3, complicating the process of moving from one language to another. You can check out a list of the most significant changes on the Python 3.0 documentation.
But why hasn’t the whole world switched over to Python 3? The main problem is that there’s a lack of compelling motivation. Python 2 is a strong language, and only power users will get to experience the full benefit of Python 3’s new features. Plus, Python 2.7.10 is pre-installed on all Macs and a number of Linux distros. With the significant differences between the two versions and the work required to convert from 2 to 3, it’s hard to find strong reasons to move Python 2 apps to Python 3. It’s true that utilities like 2to3 make it easier to transform a Python 2 program into valid Python 3 syntax, but if you’ve ever used Google Translate, you know this won’t be perfect.
Unfortunately, Python 2 isn’t going to be around forever. The developers have set 2020 as the final year for Python 2 support, and everyone will need to transition their programs over to Python 3 by then. If you’re writing new programs in Python, you might be interested in starting to use Python 3. But first, you’ll need to install a Python 3 interpreter on your Mac.
Upgrading to Python 3 on your Mac
To uninstall Python 3 on Mac completely and safely, please follow the steps below. First, quit the application and close all running processes of Python in the background. This step is very important for a safe deletion of the program.
Even if it isn’t the de facto standard, you can run Python 3 on your Mac today. You can even run it alongside a concurrent Python 2.7 installation without affecting the version 2.7 installation.
1. Download the most recent package from the Python website.
2. Double-click the downloaded package and run the Python installer.
3. Once the installer is finished, you’ll find a new Python 3.6.1 folder inside of the Applications directory. The installer also installed the Python interpreter and binaries in your /usr/local/bin folder.
4. This folder contains a GUI for launching Python applications called Python Launcher. It also includes IDLE, an IDE for developing Python applications, a link to Python’s documentation and miscellaneous documents.
Launching Python 3 from the Terminal
1. If you want to run a Python 3 script or application from the command line, you’ll need to use the command python3
. Notice the difference when compared to the python
command, which runs Python 2.7. If you end up using Python 3 as your primary interpreter, you can change this alias, but python3
is the default.
2. Without additional arguments, the python3
command will invoke the Python 3 interactive interpreter. This allows you to type Python 3 code into the Terminal and run it on a line-by-line basis.
3. If you do something a little more useful and run a script with the Python 3 interpreter, follow the python3
command with the path to your .py
file.
Launching Python 3 from the GUI
You can also run Python 3 programs from the Python Launcher GUI.
1. Open the Python Launcher found in “/Applications/Python 3.6.1.” (Note that the version number in the Python folder’s name will change with future versions of Python. Just look for the one that starts with a 3.)
2. This opens the Preferences window for the launcher. The application is set to run everything with a Python 2 interpreter by default, but we can change that. Change the path under “Interpreter” to “/usr/local/bin/python3”, which is the default directory of the Python 3 interpreter.
3. Chose “File > Open…” from the menu bar. Then, select the Python program you want to run.
4. The selected program will now run. GUI programs will launch their visual interface, and scripts will run in the Terminal window.
You can also run Python programs with the GUI by adding the Python launcher icon to your Dock and dragging Python scripts on top of it.
Conclusion
Getting Python 3 running on your Mac ins’t hard. However, changing your coding habits can take some time. If you’ve been writing Python 2 for a while now, switching to Python 3 can be a tedious and frustrating process. You’ll have to update your knowledge eventually, however, so you may as well get started now, while you’ve got a couple of years ahead of you.
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Note: This article has been updated. Here's the new, updated article from Aug 10, 2017. 'How to Upgrade Your Mac to Python 3 [2017 Update].'
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For those who are learning Python on a Mac, it may be slightly frustrating that Apple doesn't provide the latest version, typically used when learning Python these days. Here's a short and sweet Q&A session on what you need to know to download and install the latest version of Python (3.4.1).
How To Install Python 3 For Mac
1. Why is Apple only providing Python 2.x?
Pdf printer for mac. As the Python website says, 'Python 2.x is legacy, Python 3.x is the present and future of the language.' Briefly, in order to move forward technically as a language, the creator, Guido van Rossum, needed to make some significant internal changes. To do this, backwards compatibility had to be compromised. As a result, the 3.x version can't be depended on to run 2.x scripts.
There are large libraries for Python 2.x and many users still need to use it, so Python 2.7.x is installed in OS X by default. Even OS X 10.10 Yosemite provides Python 2.7.x. So when should you use version 2 and when should you use the latest release, 3.4? The Python.org site says:
Firstly, if you're deploying to an environment you don't control, that may impose a specific version, rather than allowing you a free selection from the available versions.
Secondly, if you want to use a specific third party package or utility that doesn't yet have a released version that is compatible with Python 3, and porting that package is a non-trivial task, you may choose to use Python 2 in order to retain access to that package.
Alternatively, if you're a newbie to the language and/or your class instructor insists that you begin by learning 3.x, then you'll need to install it on your Mac. It's particularly easy to do because 1) There's an OS X installer package that does all the work and 2) You can still run both versions, so there's no penalty to installing 3.x.
2. Where can I get Python 3.x?
Go to the Python website's download page. It should auto-detect that you're on a Mac and offer you some options. You're probably wanting 3.4.1. The interesting part of the page will look something like this:
It's important that you read the file 'ReadMe.txt'. There, you'll discover, along with other things, that you may not be able to just double-click the installer, 'Python.mpkg' because it's not signed by Apple. (Whether you can double-click it will depend on how you have your Gatekeeper settings set in
Python 3 For Mac Os High Sierra
3. How do I install Python 3 and where does it get installed?
If you're using the OS X default setting for Gatekeeper, you'll need to right-click the installer package and select:
Like this:
Unlike Apple's default install of 2.x, the version 3.x that you're installing goes into your own library folder. Using the symbol ~ as a shorthand for /Users/<your acct name>, then we can write the location as:
4. How do I run Python 3?
The installer added the path for the above to your default path in .bash_profile so that when you type:
on the command line, the system can find it. You'll know you've been successful if you see the Python interpreter launch.
Exit the interpreter with CTRL-D.
5. How do I run the older 2.x versions?
If you look at:
you'll see that several older 2.x versions are already installed. To get to the latest 2.x version, and that shouldn't change because 2.x isn't being updated anymore, you can, on the command line, type:
Alternatively, you can enter the commands python2.5 or python2.6 to get to those older versions if needed.
However, it’s severely limited in features, and requires a fair amount of effort to get working.Platform Availability: Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP; Linux; OS/2Price: FreeSEE ALSO: All set to convert images to text?Digitizing printed (and handwritten) textual content is extremely useful, as it makes storing, editing, and sharing text extremely easy. Free ocr software for mac.
6. Where can I learn more?
There is a boatload of friendly information about Python at their website. It's beautifully laid out.
1. Absolute beginner with no experience programming a computer. 'Python Programming' by Michael Dawson.
2. For those who know a little programming. 'Python Programming' by John Zelle.
3. For experienced programmers who want to learn Python. 'Learning Python' by Mark Lutz. This book (5th edition) covers both 2.x and 3.x.