Let's get started. We will install NumPy and related software on different operating systems and have a look at some simple code that uses NumPy. This chapter briefly introduces the IPython interactive shell. SciPy is closely related to NumPy, so you will see the SciPy name appearing here and there. At the end of this chapter, you will find pointers on how to find additional information online if you get stuck or are uncertain about the best way to solve problems.
In this chapter, you will cover the following topics:
NumPy is based on Python, so you need to have Python installed. On some operating systems, Python is already installed. However, you need to check whether the Python version corresponds with the NumPy version you want to install. There are many implementations of Python, including commercial implementations and distributions. In this book, we focus on the standard CPython implementation, which is guaranteed to be compatible with NumPy.