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In order to get the most out of this course, there are a few things you're going to need.
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First of all, you need a basic understanding of programming.
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This means that you need experience writing working code in a modern
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programming language,
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for example, Perl, PHP, Java, JavaScript, C++, or any modern programming
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language, and you need some understanding of object-oriented programming.
0102 Understanding prerequisites for Python
02:04
0103 Using the exercise files
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If you're a premium member of the lynda.com Online Training Library, or if you're
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watching this tutorial on a DVD-ROM, you have access to the exercise files used
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throughout this title.
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The exercise files are organized by chapter, and I suggest that you copy them to
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your desktop and work with them from there.
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Each chapter has number of files in it.
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For example, here in the Chapter 6, there are three files, and by and large these
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files are Python scripts code.
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We'll be using these files from inside of Eclipse.
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Eclipse is an integrated development environment, and I'll show you how to
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import the files into Eclipse in the movie on installing Eclipse.
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You do not have to use Eclipse to follow along with this title.
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You can use whatever editor or whatever development environment you choose.
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I use Eclipse because it's platform- independent, and it's portable, and it's
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easy to use for teaching, but you do not have to use Eclipse to follow along in this title.
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Whenever I open a file in this title, I start by making a copy of the file and
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then work with the working copy.
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I do this by dragging the file while holding down the Control key on a PC or the
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Command key on a Mac and then let it go, and this will give me an opportunity to
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choose a name for the copy, and I typically use the same name with a dash and the
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name working, and end it with .PY.
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By doing this and working with the working copy, the original files are left
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unchanged, and this way you can go through the exercises again at a later time if
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you choose to do that.
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If you don't have access to the exercise files, you can follow along from
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scratch, or with your own assets.
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So, let's get started.