Setting up the OS

It’s extremely important to have a very well-working environment. The OS is the place where everything is supposed to run. Even if the first choice we are asked to make is in regard to the OS to be used, we can say that from this point of view, we are lucky, because Streamlit is a framework in Python. This programming language works more or less on any OS, so we are really free to select what we want – for example, macOS, Windows, any Linux distribution, or, if you like, even any BSD flavor.

For several reasons that we are going to explain shortly, we prefer Ubuntu, and if you are concerned about its usage or about installing it, take it easy because first of all, it’s really easy to use. And, if you don’t want to, you don’t need to install it on your machine as an exclusive and unique OS as you can use virtualization software, a very useful tool that makes it possible to run an OS inside another OS! Moreover, knowing how to manage a virtualization tool and install on it any kind of OS can be a very useful skill for the future!

Since we need not only the OS but, among other tools, an IDE, the best choice may be to adopt free tools in order to keep our costs very low. So, in order to minimize our expenses, I suggest you use Ubuntu, a very user-friendly and easy-to-use-and-install Linux distribution. You can download it from Ubuntu’s official website (https://ubuntu.com/) and install it on your machine:

Figure 2.1: Ubuntu home page

Consider using virtualization software if you prefer not to install Ubuntu alongside your primary OS in a “dual boot mode” and avoid the need to choose between Linux distributions when starting your computer. The choice of which valid solution to use ultimately depends on your preferences. The main objective is to enable you to run Ubuntu within your primary OS, treating it as a regular software program. A very valid solution, once again free, is Oracle VirtualBox, which works for any kind of OS:

Figure 2.2: VirtualBox home page

It doesn’t matter whether you have a real Ubuntu OS or a virtualized version of it; it’s just important that you are able to start and use it. When you run your freshly installed Linux Ubuntu, please update it by typing the following command in the terminal:
sudo apt update

Now, it’s time to check whether Python is installed on the system, so open the terminal and simply type the following:
python3

You should get some content such as that in the following picture:

Figure 2.3: Python 3 in Ubuntu’s terminal