I'm new to programming and I'm trying to figure out which version of Python I should install. I want to focus on data science and web scraping for my master's degree, and I'll be using PyCharm as my IDE. Also, I received a Windows Defender alert regarding Spyder, so I'm curious if that's something I should be concerned about or if it's just a false alarm.
5 Answers
Most well-maintained projects should be supporting 3.13 by now. While 3.12 might offer slightly better support, I wouldn't worry about it unless there's a specific dependency you need that requires it.
Honestly, don’t stress too much over which version to use right now. Just install whatever version you find and dive into coding!
Python 3.13 is a solid choice. There's really no reason not to use it since most libraries are keeping up to date. If any library you're interested in isn’t compatible with 3.13, it's probably not maintained well enough for your needs.
You should stick with 3.13 since it supports all the major libraries like Scikit-learn, NumPy, and Beautiful Soup. Also, I haven’t heard of any real danger with Spyder but it often comes bundled with Anaconda, which has some recent changes regarding library installations. PyCharm and Visual Studio Code are both great options too, especially for data visualizations if you go with VS Code and install the Jupyter extension.
If you're looking for stability, you can go with whatever is installed in the latest Ubuntu LTS. Currently, that's Python 3.12, which is also a decent option.
Exactly! If a library hasn’t caught up by now, it's a red flag. It’s best to go for ones that are actively maintained.