Chapter 2. Installation

You can install Python, in classic (CPython), JVM (Jython), and .NET (IronPython) versions, on most platforms. With a suitable development system (C for CPython, Java for Jython, .NET for IronPython), you can install Python from its source code distribution. On popular platforms, you also have the alternative of installing from pre-built binary distributions. If your platform comes with a pre-installed version of Python, you may still want to install another richer or better updated one: if you do, I recommend you do not remove nor overwrite your platform's original versionrather, install the other version "side by side" with the first one. In this way, you can be sure you are not going to disturb any other software that is installed as part of your platform: such software might well rely on the exact Python version that came with the platform itself.

Installing CPython from a binary distribution is faster, saves you substantial work on some platforms, and is the only possibility if you have no suitable C compiler. Installing from sources gives you more control and flexibility and is the only possibility if you can't find a suitable pre-built binary distribution for your platform. Even if you install from binaries, I recommend you also download the source distribution because it includes examples and demos that may be missing from pre-built binary packages.