2.3.1 Getting Started

To run the labs in this book, you will need two things:

1. An installation of Python3, which is the specific version of Python used in the labs.
2. Access to Jupyter, a very popular Python interface that runs code through a file called a notebook.

You can download and install Python3 by following the instructions available at anaconda.com.

There are a number of ways to get access to Jupyter. Here are just a few:

1. Using Google’s Colaboratory service: colab.research.google.com/.
2. Using JupyterHub, available at jupyter.org/hub.
3. Using your own jupyter installation. Installation instructions are available at jupyter.org/install.

Please see the Python resources page on the book website statlearning.com for up-to-date information about getting Python and Jupyter working on your computer.

You will need to install the ISLP package, which provides access to the datasets and custom-built functions that we provide. Inside a macOS or Linux terminal type pip install ISLP; this also installs most other packages needed in the labs. The Python resources page has a link to the ISLP documentation website.

To run this lab, download the file Ch2-statlearn-lab.ipynb from the Python resources page. Now run the following code at the command line: jupyter lab Ch2-statlearn-lab.ipynb.

If you’re using Windows, you can use the start menu to access anaconda, and follow the links. For example, to install ISLP and run this lab, you can run the same code above in an anaconda shell.