Part 2: Prerequisites & Local Setup

Before writing any machine learning code, we need to prepare our computer with the correct programming tools. Setting this up correctly is the most important step to prevent compatibility and configuration errors later.

2. Core Software Setup

2.1 Installing Python (Version 3.10+)

Python is the industry standard language for machine learning.

• Download the installer from the official Python Downloads Page.
• CRITICAL STEP: Run the installer and check the box that says “Add Python to PATH” before clicking Install. If you skip this, python commands will not work in your terminal.
• Verify the installation by opening your terminal or Command Prompt and running:

  python --version
  

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2.2 Installing Git

Git is a version control system used to track code history and back up your project.

• Download the installer from the Git Website.
• Run the installer and keep the default options selected.
• Verify by opening your terminal and typing:

  git --version
  

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2.3 Installing Visual Studio Code (VS Code)

VS Code is our primary editor to write scripts and notebooks.

• Download and run the installer from the VS Code Website.
• Open VS Code, click the Extensions icon on the left sidebar, search for Python and Jupyter (both by Microsoft), and click Install.

Note: We will initialize our Git tracking and connect our local codebase to GitHub later in this guide, once our application is fully built and tested locally.

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