Software

You will need to install the following free software on your computer for this class: Xcode command line tools (macOS only), Python 3.14, Python AI modules, a text editor, and Zoom. You should also configure your computer to show file extensions. You will find step-by-step instructions below to get up and running, whether you have a Mac or Windows PC.

Xcode command line tools (Mac only)

If you have a Mac, you need to install the Xcode command line tools before installing Python 3.14 and the scientific computing modules below. To do this, run the following command in Terminal:

xcode-select --install

Click Install then Agree. This may take 10-15 minutes so grab a coffee.

Python

In this class we are using the Python 3.14 programming language, though a recent version installed from a previous Colby CS course may work fine. To help make sure that your Python code is compatible with mine, I recommend using the following instructions to install Python 3.14. Here are instructions for both Mac and Windows users.

Python 3.14 (macOS)

  1. Download Python 3.14 from python.org.
  2. Open the downloaded file called python-3.14.7-macos11.pkg (you might not see the .pkg part and that's ok). The file should be in your Downloads folder.
  3. Click the Continue buttons several times.




    When you reach the following screen, click Install.
  4. You should now need to enter your password and Python will install (might take a minute).
  5. Once the installation is done and you see the following screen. If the Python 3.14 folder did not pop up during the install process, you should click the text the Finder window, which should open a Finder window to your Python 3.14 install directory.

  6. Inside the Python 3.14 folder, open (double click) the Install Certificates.command file. This will be important for downloading datasets from within Python scripts during the semester.
  7. Afterwards, close and delete the installer.
  8. Now check to make sure it installed correctly. Open Terminal (you can find the app by going to the Applications/Utilities folder in Finder or by searching for it using Spotlight (press Cmd+spacebar, type Terminal, then press Enter)).
  9. Type python3 --version and hit Enter. It should return Python 3.14.7, which means it worked! If you see a different version (e.g. Python 3.8.2), try logging out and logging back into your account (or restarting your Mac) then try again.

Python 3.14 (Windows)

Note: The screenshots show the process for Python 3.11, but it is very similar for Python 3.14.

  1. Download Python 3.14 (x86-64) from python.org then and run the installer.
  2. Make sure the last checkbox is checked: "Add python.exe to PATH"
    .
  3. Click "Install Now" at the top.
  4. Press WinKey+R to open the Run box.
  5. Type cmd and enter.
  6. Type python --version, then press Enter. It should print Python 3.14.7, which means it worked!

Python AI modules

You will need a standard set of Python machine learning and AI libraries installed. After installing Python 3.14, run these commands in Terminal to install the modules using pip.

  1. Upgrade pip.
    macOS command:
    pip3 install --upgrade pip
    Windows command:
    python -m pip install --upgrade pip
  2. pip3 install numpy scipy matplotlib jupyter pandas Pillow certifi jax torch torchvision lightning
  3. Test your PyTorch installation. Running the below test should print out 6.
    macOS command:
    python3
    import torch
    print(torch.sum(torch.tensor([1, 2, 3])).item())
    exit()
    Windows command:
    python
    import torch
    print(torch.sum(torch.tensor([1, 2, 3])).item())
    exit()

Jupyter notebooks

After installing Jupyter notebook, follow the these steps to open and update a notebook file (.ipynb file extension).

  1. Open the terminal
  2. Change directory to your project folder (e.g. with cd).
  3. Enter the command jupyter notebook. A browser window should pop up with a file browsing interface of the current working directory in Terminal.
  4. Open a notebook file.
  5. Execute cells with Shift+Enter. Make sure the notebook says "Trusted" on the top-right. If the notebook is not trust, click the Not Trusted button, then confirm that the notebook is safe.
  6. Manually save frequently with Cmd+S

When you are ready to close down Jupyter, find the browser window (or tab) that opened when you launched jupyter notebook and click Shut Down in the File menu.

Microsoft Visual Studio Code

I recommend using the same text editor to write your code for projects as I use in class, which is called Microsoft Visual Studio Code (VS Code for short). Here are instructions how to install it for Mac and Windows PC users.

VS Code (macOS)

  1. Download Microsoft Visual Studio Code.
  2. You should see a file with a blue icon called Visual Studio Code in your Downloads folder. Drag it into your Applications folder:
  3. Open VS Code and create a new file (e.g. press Cmd+N followed by Cmd+S, navigate to your Desktop, then name the new file test.py). You should see a pop-up asking you about installing a Python extension. Click Install:
  4. VS Code should install it, then you should see a screen like the following. On the lower-right, click the text that says "Python", followed by some numbers:
  5. A drop-down menu should appear with some options at the top. Click the entry that says Python 3.14.7 64 bit followed by /usr/local/bin/python3:
  6. Finally, you should dismiss a pop-up window that continually appears about "Linter pylint". Click Do not show again. You should now be all ready to write Python code in VS Code!

VS Code (Windows)

  1. Download Microsoft Visual Studio Code and double-click the installer file to install it on your computer.
  2. Now let's integrate Python with your code editor VS Code. Open VS Code and press Control+N. You should be asked to select a default language. Click "Select a language", type "python", select the "python" entry, then press Enter.
  3. You should see a box pop-up on the bottom right to install the Python extension for VS Code. Click Install.
  4. Click on the Untitled-1 tab and you should now see "Python 3.14.7" in the bottom right corner of the editor, which means you are all ready to go!
    .
  5. If you see a different Python version listed. click it and select the following version:
    .

Show file extensions

To make sure that you can visually recognize code files, let's make sure that you can see file extensions (like .docx for MS Word files) on your computer.

Show file extensions (macOS)

  1. Go to Finder preferences by click on your desktop background, click Finder on top left corner of the screen then click "Preferences...".
  2. Click "Advanced".
  3. Make sure "Show all filename extensions" is checked.

Show file extensions (Windows)

  1. Open up Windows Explorer (e.g. Press Control+N after clicking on your Desktop background).
  2. Go to Folder Options:

  3. Click on the View tab and make sure that Hide extensions for known file types is unchecked.

Zoom

Zoom is a good option for recording from your screen and webcam simultaneously for project extensions. In addition, Zoom will be for the rare case of office hours held remotely, in which case we want to setup the feature where I can control your screen remotely.

Download Zoom to your computer and install it (you want "Zoom Desktop Client").
Mac users: click the "Download for Apple Silicon" button.

Follow these instructions to get your camera, your microphone, and (important) screen sharing enabled.

These instructions assume that you know how to get to macOS System Settings. The following screenshots show you how to get there.

Click on "Privacy and Security" in the left sidebar to get to where the Zoom website instructions begin.

© 2026 Oliver Layton