# Installation

In this course you will be learning the programming language
Python. To try it in practice and to do the course exercises you need
a way to run Python programs on your own computer.

If you use Windows or a Mac, we recommend installing Anaconda
following the instructions below.

```{admonition} Attention
:class: danger
Do not install Anaconda in a location (path) that contains
non-latin characters, for example if you have Chinese or other
non-latin characters in your Windows user name.  Select an
installation path which does not contain such characters. Also it's
best to avoid spaces in the path.
+++
```

## Installing Anaconda on Windows

* Go to [anaconda.com/download](https://anaconda.com/download)
* Click "skip registration"
* Under the header "Distribution Installers", in the box "Windows", download "64-Bit Graphical Installer"
* Figure out where you downloaded the file and double click on the file to run it.
  Complete the installation according to the instructions you see.

## Installing Anaconda on a Mac

* Go to [anaconda.com/download](https://anaconda.com/download)
* Under the header "Distribution Installers", in the box "Mac", choose one of the options.
  Choose "Apple Silicon" if your Mac is new and has an m1, m2, or m3 processor.
  Choose "Intel Chip" if your Mac is older and has an Intel processor.
  In any case, choose a "Graphical Installer"
* Figure out where you downloaded the file. Run it.
  Complete the installation according to the instructions you see.

# First Exercise Notebook

* Go to the next page, which will open the first notebook exercise, which you should download to your computer, and then need to open with Jupyter Notebook following the steps below.
* In the "Documents" folder in your laptop, create a new folder named "GrandChallenges". Under this new folder create a folder named "Exercises". Now download the exercise, find where it was downloaded to and then move the exercise to the folder named "Exercises".
* Unzip the zip file. For a Mac: just double click on it. For windows: click one time on the zip file, right-click the zip file, choose Extract All, click Extract.
* Jupyter Notebook should be automatically installed with Anaconda. You can launch it from the Anaconda Navigator app, or search for anaconda prompt in your searchbar, write the following command: "jupyter notebook", and press enter to run it.
* Once Jupyter notebook has been opened in your browser, you can search for the Jupyter Notebook "Exercise Notebook 1" in the folder where you downloaded it to and open it.