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3) Setup Your Development Environment Lesson

Operating System Setup

4 min to complete · By Martin Breuss

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Use UNIX
  3. (Windows) Getting Started with WSL
  4. Summary: Python Django OS Setup

The operating system you will see in use throughout this course is macOS. macOS is a UNIX-based system, just like all Linux distributions.

Colorful illustration of a light bulb

Info: It is common to develop and run web applications on UNIX-based systems. This is why you will find many online tutorials focusing on UNIX command-line instructions and tools

Use UNIX

To work through this course, you should use a UNIX-based operating system. This means that if you are using:

  • macOS: You should be able to follow along 1:1 with the tutorials in this course
  • Linux: Most of the tutorials should be directly applicable. There might be some small differences that the course will attempt to point out where they occur
  • Windows: You should install and work with WSL, the Windows Subsystem for Linux. This will natively install Linux on your computer and allow you to work on a UNIX system alongside your Windows OS.

If you are on macOS or Linux, you can move on to the next page. If you are on Windows, please make sure you install the Windows Subsystem for Linux on your computer and use it throughout this course. Below are some helpful links for setting up WSL.

(Windows) Getting Started with WSL

Follow the official instructions provided by Microsoft to install WSL on your computer. The instructions are linked below.

Illustration of a lighthouse

Info: This is the recommended way of setting up your Windows machine for web development with Python, and it will save you more than one headache down the road.

Follow this tutorial to Get Started using Python for web development on Windows. For more support and questions, check out this Discord post.

Colorful illustration of a light bulb

If you'd prefer to skip the WSL setup, you can also get by simply using the terminal emulator that comes with Git for Windows. While you won't get the full Unix-based experience, it should be enough.

After you have confirmed that you have a working UNIX-based operating system for your Django development, you can move on to the next page and install Python.

Summary: Python Django OS Setup

  • Web applications are commonly developed and deployed on UNIX-based systems.
  • macOS and all Linux distributions are UNIX-based; Windows is not.
  • Work with WSL if you have a Windows machine.
  • If WSL is giving you a hard time, fall back to the terminal emulator that ships with Git for Windows.
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