Live session: check your tools

Session details

• When and where: see the calendar invite for the time and video link
• Bring: your ~/projects/fde-course folder and your setup from week 1
• How to follow along: type every command yourself in VS Code's terminal (Terminal → New Terminal). Don't copy and paste. On Windows, type python wherever you see python3.

Check your tools

Step 1: Check what you already have

Open VS Code, then open a terminal (Terminal → New Terminal) and run:

python3 --version   # Windows: python --version
git --version
code --version

Each one should print a version number, not an error. Python must be 3.12 or newer. Then open GitHub Desktop and check you're still signed in.

If git or code fails, go back to the setup guide and redo that tool's step. If Python fails, do step 2.

Step 2: Install Python (only if step 1 failed)

macOS

1. Go to python.org/downloads (opens in a new tab) and download the latest Python 3.
2. Open the .pkg file and click through with the default options.

Windows

1. Go to python.org/downloads (opens in a new tab) and download the latest Python 3.
2. Run the installer. Tick Add python.exe to PATH on the first screen, then click Install Now.

Close VS Code completely, open it again and rerun the Python check from step 1.