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| "Why is Python Installed on my Computer?" FAQ |
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| What is Python? |
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| Python is a programming language. It's used for many different applications. |
| It's used in some high schools and colleges as an introductory programming |
| language because Python is easy to learn, but it's also used by professional |
| software developers at places such as Google, NASA, and Lucasfilm Ltd. |
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| If you wish to learn more about Python, start with the `Beginner's Guide to |
| Python <http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide>`_. |
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| Why is Python installed on my machine? |
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| If you find Python installed on your system but don't remember installing it, |
| there are several possible ways it could have gotten there. |
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| * Perhaps another user on the computer wanted to learn programming and installed |
| it; you'll have to figure out who's been using the machine and might have |
| installed it. |
| * A third-party application installed on the machine might have been written in |
| Python and included a Python installation. For a home computer, the most |
| common such application is `PySol <http://pysolfc.sourceforge.net/>`_, a |
| solitaire game that includes over 1000 different games and variations. |
| * Some Windows machines also have Python installed. At this writing we're aware |
| of computers from Hewlett-Packard and Compaq that include Python. Apparently |
| some of HP/Compaq's administrative tools are written in Python. |
| * All Apple computers running Mac OS X have Python installed; it's included in |
| the base installation. |
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| Can I delete Python? |
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| That depends on where Python came from. |
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| If someone installed it deliberately, you can remove it without hurting |
| anything. On Windows, use the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel. |
| |
| If Python was installed by a third-party application, you can also remove it, |
| but that application will no longer work. You should use that application's |
| uninstaller rather than removing Python directly. |
| |
| If Python came with your operating system, removing it is not recommended. If |
| you remove it, whatever tools were written in Python will no longer run, and |
| some of them might be important to you. Reinstalling the whole system would |
| then be required to fix things again. |
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