Programming with Python

The best way to learn how to program is to do something useful, so the introduction to Python is built around a common research task: data analysis. Our real goal isn’t to teach you Python, but to teach you the basic concepts that all programming depends on. We use Python in our lessons because:

  • we have to use something for examples
  • it’s free, well-documented, and runs almost everywhere
  • it has a large (and growing) user base among researchers
  • experience shows that it’s easier for novices to pick up than most other languages But the two most important things are to use whatever language your colleagues are using, so that you can share your work with them easily, and to use that language well.

Version Control with Git

Git is a version control system for tracking changes in computer files and coordinating work on those files among multiple people. Version control is the lab notebook of the digital world: it’s what professionals use to keep track of what they’ve done and to collaborate with other people. Every large software development project relies on it, and most programmers use it for their small jobs as well. And it isn’t just for software: books, papers, small data sets, and anything that changes over time or needs to be shared can and should be stored in a version control system.

Requirements

To get create an optimal learning environment, the maximal number of participants for this workshop is 25. Participants must bring a laptop with Mac, Linux, or Windows operating system (not a tablet, Chromebook, etc.) that they have administrative privileges to. Participants should have the following software packages installed: Python and Git, Participants are also required to abide by Software Carpentry’s Code of Conduct.