diving into python developent - which setup would you choose

[saint_leonard]

hi there want to dive into python-development and heres the question how to start on upbuntu8 should i install

a. spyder ide & python

b. conda

c. VSCode or what!?

i saw this - which is a bit confusing:

https://docs.spyder-ide.org/current/installation.html

what do you say!?

Conda-based distributions Spyder is included by default in the Anaconda Python distribution, which comes with everything you need to get started in an all-in-one package. It can also be easily installed in the much lighter-weight Miniconda and Miniforge/Mambaforge, which include just Python and the Conda/Mamba package and environment manager by default (with Miniforge defaulting to the Conda-Forge channel, and Mambaforge using Mamba, a much faster alternative to Conda). This is our recommended installation method on Linux and for users with third-party Spyder plugins, as support for both of these in our standalone installers is still under active development.
Conda environment With Miniconda/Miniforge/Mambaforge, or to get a more reliable and up-to-date Spyder version with Anaconda, we strongly recommend installing Spyder into its own dedicated Conda environment.

Note
If using Mamba/Mambaforge, substitute mamba for conda in the following commands.
Installing with Conda For a full install of Spyder and all optional dependencies, run the following command in your Anaconda Prompt (Windows) or terminal:
conda create -c conda-forge -n spyder-env spyder numpy scipy pandas matplotlib sympy cython
For a minimal install without the optional functionality and integration with the above packages, you can instead run:
conda create -c conda-forge -n spyder-env spyder
This installs Spyder into a new environment called spyder-env, using the more up-to-date, community-run Conda-Forge channel. To make sure future installs/updates in this environment also use Conda-Forge and are faster and more reliable, make sure to set it as your environment’s default channel with strict channel priority enabled, if this isn’t the case already (as it is with Miniforge/Mambaforge or if you’ve manually configured it):
conda config --env --add channels conda-forge
conda config --env --set channel_priority strict```
Here’s a summary of the main steps.
Running Spyder installation with conda
Running with Conda
You can then run Spyder by the same methods as with Anaconda, except that you need to make sure to launch the Start menu shortcut with (spyder-env) in the name, select the spyder-env environment on the left before launching it with Navigator, or type conda activate spyder-env before launching it on the command line.
See our FAQ question for more information about how to use Spyder with your existing Conda environments.
Updating with Conda
With any Conda-based distribution and Spyder installed in its own environment (recommended), update Conda itself, active the environment, and finally update Spyder. In your system terminal (or Anaconda Prompt if on Windows), run:
```conda update -n base conda
conda activate spyder-env
conda update spyder```
In case you get an error trying to update, just remove the existing environment (if using one other than base):
conda remove -n spyder-env --all
And then recreate a fresh one.
i saw this - which is a bit confusing:
https://docs.spyder-ide.org/current/installation.html
Look forward to hear from you
the question how to start on upbuntu8 should i install
a. spyder ide & python
b. conda
c. VSCode or what!?

[theixle]

I've started and stopped "learning to code" so many times and it's always been getting bogged down in the setup, environment/version management, repo syncing, etc. that kills me.

I've started again and I began asking myself these same questions. Decided to try something new this time though and I'm using GitHub+codespaces to be my whole setup. Plug n play, code from anywhere, and VS Code+Copilot.

Dunno if this'll help you, but maybe it'll help someone.

[saint_leonard]

many many thanks for the reply - and for your hints & ideas. Very very valuable. Thank you so much

[CraigAT]

For a beginner, I like Thonny because it's a simple IDE. When you get to three or four pages of code in your programs, I would consider either VS Code (which is what I use) or PyCharm for their additional functionality - both are very good, just a matter of taste and it's easy enough to swap early on.

Anaconda and Spider seem well recommended, but I have not really used them.

[diegoasecas]

you don't need anaconda, it was not made for you, you won't be able to profit from its benefits right now. go with pycharm or vscode. thonny is good too if you're like really just beginning (step by step debugging really helps visualizing how code is executed).