perhaps the simplest way to run python programs is to type them at python' interactive command linesometimes called the interactive prompt there are variety of ways to start this command linein an idefrom system consoleand so on assuming the interpreter is installed as an executable program on your systemthe most platformneutral way to start an interactive interpreter session is usually just to type python at your operating system' promptwithout any arguments for examplepython python ( :bd afb ebf sep : : [msc bit type "help""copyright""creditsor "licensefor more information ^ typing the word "pythonat your system shell prompt like this begins an interactive python sessionthe "%character at the start of this listing stands for generic system prompt in this book--it' not input that you type yourself on windowsa ctrl- gets you out of this sessionon unixtry ctrl- instead the notion of system shell prompt is genericbut exactly how you access it varies by platformon windowsyou can type python in dos console window-- program named cmd exe and usually known as command prompt for more details on starting this programsee this sidebar "where is command prompt on windows?on page on mac os xyou can start python interactive interpreter by double-clicking on applications-utilities-terminaland then typing python in the window that opens up on linux (and other unixes)you might type this command in shell or terminal window (for instancein an xterm or console running shell such as ksh or cshother systems may use similar or platform-specific devices on handheld devicesfor exampleyou might click the python icon in the home or application window to launch an interactive session on most platformsyou can start the interactive prompt in additional ways that don' require typing commandbut they vary per platform even more widelyon windows and earlierbesides typing python in shell windowyou can also begin similar interactive sessions by starting the idle gui (discussed later)or by selecting the "python (command line)menu option from the start button menu for pythonas shown in figure - in both spawn python interactive prompt with the same functionality obtained with "pythoncommand on windows you don' have start button (at least as write this)but there are other ways to get to the tools described in the prior bulletincluding tilessearchfile explorerand the "all appsinterface on the start screen see appendix for more pointers on this platform how you run programs