How to Write a Basic Python Program

Part 1 of 2:

Open the Terminal. On Linux, you can press the Alt button to open a search bar. Type "terminal" and click on Terminal.
Know the commands. Terminal commands are shown in this document as:
- ```
command -options filename.ext 
```
- ```
sudo apt-get install build-essential 
```
  - The "sudo" command gives permission to the terminal to modify your computer. This is necessary to install any program. You will be required to enter your password.
- The "apt-get install" command tells the computer to install the package "build-essential" which is required to install Python.
- ```
sudo apt-get install libreadline-gplv2-dev libncursesw5-dev libssl-dev libsqlite3-dev tk-dev libgdbm-dev libc6-dev libbz2-dev 
```
- These are programs that Python uses to run correctly. They are also known as 'dependencies'.

Download the latest version of Python from the Internet. Use the following command:
- ```
cd ~/Downloads/ 
```
- The "cd" command changes to the correct working directory so the computer can find and put programs in the right place.
- ```
wget http://python.org/ftp/python/2.7.5/Python-2.7.5.tgz 
```
Decompress the Python file using the following command:
- ```
tar -xvf Python-2.7.5.tgz 
```
- ```
cd Python-2.7.5 
```
- Once again, we need to change the working directory. This time, we change to the newly created Python directory.

Use the ./configure command checks your computer to ensure you have all the necessary components to install Python. It will alert you of any critical errors.
- ```
./configure 
```
Use the make command. It compiles the source code and creates the executables.
- ```
make 
```
Move the applications and libraries. With the following command, all of the applications and libraries associated with Python are moved into the correct places on your computer.
- ```
sudo make install 
```

Part 2 of 2:

Open a text editor.
- Any text editor that can save files with a ".py" extension will do. Ubuntu 12.04 or greater is packaged with the Gedit editor.
Type
```
print 'Hello, World!' 
```
- In Python, whatever is enclosed in quotes after the word print will be printed out to the screen.
Save the file as "hello_world.py.
- Be careful that the file is not saved as "hello_world.py.txt".

Open the Terminal again.
Navigate to the directory where "hello_world.py" is located.
- Remember to use the "cd" command to change directories.
- If you need a list of all subdirectories at your current location, use the "ls" command. "ls" stands for "list subdirectories".
Run the script:
- ```
python hello_world.py 
```

Python is a high-level programming language. The language utilizes a straightforward syntax which can make it easy for new users to get started. ==== Install the Dependencies ====