Further Reading — Chapter 2: Setting Up Your Python Environment

Official Documentation

Python Official Documentation — Installing Python Modules docs.python.org/3/installing/index.html The canonical reference for pip and package management. Technical but authoritative.

Python Virtual Environments — Official Tutorial docs.python.org/3/tutorial/venv.html Short, clear official documentation on virtual environments.

VS Code Python Documentation code.visualstudio.com/docs/python/python-tutorial Microsoft's official guide to Python development in VS Code. More detailed than what's in this chapter, including debugging and testing.

Tools and Alternatives Worth Knowing

pyenv (github.com/pyenv/pyenv) Manages multiple Python versions on the same machine. Essential if you work across projects with different version requirements.

Poetry (python-poetry.org) A modern Python packaging and dependency management tool that combines pip, venv, and requirements.txt functionality into one tool. Increasingly popular in professional settings. More complex to learn initially but more powerful.

uv (astral.sh/uv) A very fast Python package installer and resolver, written in Rust. 10–100x faster than pip. Worth knowing as it gains adoption in the Python community.

Conda / Miniconda (docs.conda.io) The official documentation for conda and Miniconda (a lighter alternative to full Anaconda).

Jupyter Documentation (jupyter.org/documentation) Complete docs for Jupyter Notebook and JupyterLab. JupyterLab is the next-generation interface — worth exploring once you're comfortable with basic notebooks.

Tutorials

"Python Virtual Environments: A Primer" — Real Python realpython.com/python-virtual-environments-a-primer/ The most comprehensive beginner-friendly guide to virtual environments available. Read this after this chapter if the concept still feels fuzzy.

"VS Code for Python Beginners" — YouTube / Microsoft Search "VS Code Python beginners Microsoft" — several official video tutorials from the VS Code team cover the setup covered in this chapter in visual form.

Troubleshooting Reference

Stack Overflow — Python Setup Tag stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/python-installation If you hit a setup problem, search here first. Almost every common setup error has been asked and answered.

Common Python Gotchas on Windows A perennial category of questions on Stack Overflow. Key topics: PATH issues, PowerShell execution policy, Microsoft Store Python (avoid), pip vs pip3.

All links were verified at time of publication.