[Tutor] Which computer operating system is best for Python

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Wed, Feb 05, 2014 at 06:34:49PM +0000, Colin Chinsammy wrote:

> I am considering purchasing the Acer c720 chromebook for my 13yo to 
> begin learning Python for Kids. Obviously I am on a budget. Is this a 
> good choice for a complete beginner? Any particular challenges that 
> she might encounter using a chromebook OS? Any advice would be greatly 
> appreciated. As I have researched my way into confusion.

I've never used Chromebook, and I'm philosophically and practically 
opposed to any system which works "on the cloud" instead of on a 
machine I control.

More importantly, how are your daughter's skills? Is she interested 
in programming? I've seen too many people decide that because their son 
or daughter is browsing Facebook all the time, they must be "good with 
computers". Don't be one of them :-)

If you can afford a MacBook, it is probably the best for people who are 
not technically minded, as well as those who are. Some of the computer 
techs and programmers I work with wouldn't be caught dead without their 
Mac.

If your daughter is really interested in the technical side of 
computers, and wants to roll up her sleeves and understand *everything* 
about how modern computers work, Linux is probably the best system to go 
for. You can run a modern, up-to-date Linux system on a two or five year 
old laptop, and with a few careful choices and tweaks, have just as good 
or better performance than Windows on a brand-new laptop.

In my experience, in order of preference, I would say:

Debian-based Linux (best)
Other Linux
Mac OS
Windows (worst)

with ChromeOS an unknown. But when I say Windows is the worst for Python 
programming, that doesn't mean you can't do it. It just means that there 
may be a few bumps in the road that you don't get with other systems.


-- 
Steven