@@ -21,18 +21,18 @@ There are many ways to install Python, R, and LaTeX. Worse, there are good reaso
1. Use a package manager you already have.
*Linux users* should start by checking the packages provided by their Linux distribution. It almost certainly contains Python, R, and LaTeX. Unless you use a very conservative distribution (such as [[https://www.centos.org/][CentOS]]), you can expect to find sufficiently recent versions of R and LaTeX, but for Python, make sure you get 3.6 or later.
*Linux users* should start by checking the packages provided by their Linux distribution. It almost certainly contains Python, R, and LaTeX. Unless you use a very conservative distribution (such as [[https://www.centos.org/][CentOS]]), you can expect to find sufficiently recent versions of R and LaTeX, but for Python, make sure you get 3.6 or later.
The exact names of the packages you need to install unfortunately vary among distributions, but they should be similar to =python3=, =r-base=, and =texlive=.
The exact names of the packages you need to install unfortunately vary among distributions, but they should be similar to =python3=, =r-base=, and =texlive=.
*macOS* users who already use one of the package managers for macOS, i.e. one of [[https://brew.sh/][Homebrew]], [[https://www.macports.org/][MacPorts]], or [[http://www.finkproject.org/][fink]], should also look for Python and R in their distributions. However, it's probably not worth installing any of these package managers just for Python, R, or LaTeX.
*macOS* users who already use one of the package managers for macOS, i.e. one of [[https://brew.sh/][Homebrew]], [[https://www.macports.org/][MacPorts]], or [[http://www.finkproject.org/][fink]], should also look for Python and R in their distributions. However, it's probably not worth installing any of these package managers just for Python, R, or LaTeX.
2. Anaconda
2. Anaconda (this is [[https://www.fun-mooc.fr/courses/course-v1:inria+41016+session02/jump_to_id/8dcce91be83c4ece834abfa98b8bbfb1][the method we recommand]] if you want to install the exact same version as the one we deployed on our servers for this MOOC)
Users of *Windows*, as well as *Linux* and *macOS* users who don't find sufficiently recent versions in their package manager's distributions, should consider the [[https://www.anaconda.com/distribution/][Anaconda distribution]] that contains both Python and R plus a huge collection of add-on packages for both languages. Anaconda is particularly recommended for those who plan to use Python more regularly, as it is the most convenient approach to managing Python environments. It is also the method we recommend for a local installation of Jupyter.
Users of *Windows*, as well as *Linux* and *macOS* users who don't find sufficiently recent versions in their package manager's distributions, should consider the [[https://www.anaconda.com/distribution/][Anaconda distribution]] that contains both Python and R plus a huge collection of add-on packages for both languages. Anaconda is particularly recommended for those who plan to use Python more regularly, as it is the most convenient approach to managing Python environments. It is also [[https://www.fun-mooc.fr/courses/course-v1:inria+41016+session02/jump_to_id/8dcce91be83c4ece834abfa98b8bbfb1][the method we recommend for a local installation of Jupyter]].
3. Follow the instructions proposed by each language's developers
Finally, you can install [[https://www.python.org/][Python]] and [[https://www.r-project.org/][R]] following the installation procedures proposed by their development teams. Compared to the approaches described above, the main inconvenience is the absence of simple strategies for updating and for installing add-on packages. But if you install Python and/or R just for the MOOC, this is not much of an issue.
Finally, you can install [[https://www.python.org/][Python]] and [[https://www.r-project.org/][R]] following the installation procedures proposed by their development teams. Compared to the approaches described above, the main inconvenience is the absence of simple strategies for updating and for installing add-on packages. But if you install Python and/or R just for the MOOC, this is not much of an issue.
LaTeX is a bit different because it is already an add-on package to another piece of software called TeX, and then requires additional add-ons to be of practical use. You should therefore use one of [[https://tug.org/texlive/][TeX Live]] or [[https://miktex.org/][MiKTeX]], the two major TeX distributions that come with their own package managers, and follow the installation instructions they provide. [[https://www.tug.org/mactex/][MacTeX]] for macOS is TeX Live plus a few macOS-specific add-ons. The differences between MiKTeX and TeX Live are not very important, so if you don't know which one to pick, toss a coin!
LaTeX is a bit different because it is already an add-on package to another piece of software called TeX, and then requires additional add-ons to be of practical use. You should therefore use one of [[https://tug.org/texlive/][TeX Live]] or [[https://miktex.org/][MiKTeX]], the two major TeX distributions that come with their own package managers, and follow the installation instructions they provide. [[https://www.tug.org/mactex/][MacTeX]] for macOS is TeX Live plus a few macOS-specific add-ons. The differences between MiKTeX and TeX Live are not very important, so if you don't know which one to pick, toss a coin!
