This page is an introduction to how to get started with python.
On Unix/Linux, the Python interpreter is inbuilt. So, if you type _python_ at the command prompt you might get a response something like this.
$python
Python 2.6.2+ (release26-maint:72495, May 10 2009, 09:18:23)
[GCC 4.3.3] on linux2
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>>
This means that Python is installed and _>>>_ symbol is the Python interpreter symbol.Normally, you will write python programs using a text editor and then execute the program using the interpreter.
$cat hello.py
print 'Hello,World'
$python hello.py
Hello,World
$
If you would like to install a higher version of Python interpreter than it is currently installed on your system, you may download python from http://www.python.org website.
Rest of the steps should be same.
Microsoft Windows does not ship python by default. However, there is a binary available from http://python.org website. It comes with an editor called IDLE (which can be used to start with). But all developers use other editors like vim, emacs, notepad++ and other editors in Windows too.
On Windows, there is also special package available, which has integration with Windows APIS and has an editor called _Pythonwin_, coming bundled which is pretty good for beginners. The above mentioned way is the best way to get started on Windows.
If you would like to take a shortcut route, then Active State is the Company which has bundled them all together and provides the PythonWin editor too. Download ActiveState Python here.
I mention Active State Python after the Python from http://www.python.org because newcomers if they download Python from Activestate to start kind of think that Python interpretor is available from Activestate Company only and forget that they can download Python directly from the Source.
Well, Activestate is a _good_ company working with Open Source technologies and they have contribute a lot back to Python trunk too.
So, it is just your convenience as how you want to Download Python on Windows.
There are plenty of good tutorials on python available on the Internet.
After you have completed reading those tutorial, I would suggest you try this mini-project.
It is not difficult one. It is interesting project and output will be an image file. So, its kind of souvenir for you for completing your first Python mini project.