Python 3 - Second Edition

2.6    Using Python

Every installation of Python includes two important components besides the Python interpreter itself—namely, interactive mode and IDLE.

In interactive mode (see Figure 2.2), also referred to as the Python shell, individual program lines can be entered and the results viewed directly. The interactive mode is thus helpful for learning the Python language, among other things, and therefore is used frequently in this book.

Figure 2.2     Python in Interactive Mode (Python Shell)

IDLE (shown in Figure 2.3) is a rudimentary Python development environment with a graphical user interface. When IDLE starts, only a window containing ...