Python something or other on my computer

[homeyg]

A few months ago, I found a folder called Python22 on my hard drive (I didn't know what it was or how it got there, so I just left it alone). Now, a few days ago, I was reading about the programming language called Python and remembered that thing on my computer. Does anyone else have this on their computer? If so, has anyone ever used that language before? How do you set up the compiler, etc. for it?

-Thanks

Oh, btw, here's a picture of the Python22 folder:

 

[Yom]

That's definitely the language. I tried some Python, but I don't really care that much about programming. I only kn(e)ow a few basic things.

 

[EzInKy]

I use Gentoo Linux whose package management system is written in Python. Python is a interpreted language so a compiler is not required to use it. For example code you could just examine .py script files. As for running the interpretor under windows I honestly don't know for sure.

 

[Turner]

Python is supposed to be a big part of Civ4.

Moderator Action: Moved to Computer Talk

 

[HamaticBabylon]

It could be a virus/Trojan horse of a language/language thingy...so don't open it!

 

[HamaticBabylon]

Python is supposed to be a big part of Civ4.

Could you elaborate on this please?

 

[Turner]

No. Don't know much.

There is a Civ4 discussion thread about it....

 

[ainwood]

Python is a scripting language. As such, AFAIK, you can't actually compile anything in it.

It is rumoured (can't remember what the source was - a Firaxis chat?) that Civ4 will have support for python - this will (hopefully) mean that scenarios in Civ4 can have scripted events etc.

 

[Chairman Meow]

Python is a scripted programming language, and usually comes by default on Linux/Unix-type operating systems. Don't know why it would spontaneously appear, though... if you didn't put it there, I'd say don't use it. You can get Python here, so if you want to use it, I'd say download it and install it, but don't use that copy of it (it may be trojaned). I've dabbled a bit with it... I made a script that automatically downloads comic strips, and I've done a couple other scripts with it. It's an interesting language, if you're interested in that kind of thing.

 

[homeyg]

I'm not sure if it came with my computer when I bought it (a few months ago) and just now noticed it, or if it just suddenly appeared. I definately didn't put it there. Do they usually include Python with new computers?

 

[Chairman Meow]

I'm not sure if it came with my computer when I bought it (a few months ago) and just now noticed it, or if it just suddenly appeared. I definately didn't put it there. Do they usually include Python with new computers?

No, they usually don't (at least not on computers that run Windows.)

 

[homeyg]

Okay, then it must have appeared by itself because nobody else that uses my computer knows what that even is. I will not open it. Can I delete it from the hard drive and replace it with the real thing?

 

[Chairman Meow]

Okay, then it must have appeared by itself because nobody else that uses my computer knows what that even is. I will not open it. Can I delete it from the hard drive and replace it with the real thing?

You may have a program installed that uses Python (assuming it is not trojaned/whatever), but replacing it with the version from python.org would probably work fine (and the version on python.org is a more recent version)

 

[Blackbird_SR-71]

yeah python is installed on your computer. on the site it even has a faq question about why someones computer has python on it when they never downloaded it. programs that are written in python need the python language to run. Python has a Virtual Machine like Java has so you need that to run programs like you need Java Virtual Machine to run Java programs.

 

[Neomega]

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=97183

here is the thread titled "Lets learn to mod civ IV today!"

Civ IV mods will be able to use python for scripting events and such.