on linux idle is also usually present as standard component today it might take the form of an idle executable or script in your pathtype this in shell to check on some machinesit may require an install (see appendix for pointers)and on others you may need to launch idle' top-level script from command line or icon clickrun the file idle py located in the idlelib subdirectory of python' /usr/lib directory (run find for the exact locationbecause idle is just python script on the module search path in the standard libraryyou can also generally run it on any platform and from any directory by typing the following in system command shell window ( in command prompt on windows)though you'll have to see appendix for more on python' - flagand part for more on the package syntax required here (blind trust will suffice at this point in the book) :\codepython - idlelib idle run idle py in package on module path for more on install issues and usage notes for windows and other platformsbe sure to see both appendix as well as the notes for your platform in "python setup and usagein python' standard manuals idle basic usage let' jump into an example figure - shows the scene after you start idle on windows the python shell window that opens initially is the main windowwhich runs an interactive session (notice the promptthis works like all interactive sessions --code you type here is run immediately after you type it--and serves as testing and experimenting tool idle uses familiar menus with keyboard shortcuts for most of its operations to make new script file under idleuse file-newin the main shell windowselect the file pull-down menuand pick new to open new text edit window where you can typesaveand run your file' code use file-open instead to open new text edit window displaying an existing file' code to edit and run although it may not show up fully in this book' graphicsidle uses syntax-directed colorization for the code typed in both the main window and all text edit windows-keywords are one colorliterals are anotherand so on this helps give you better picture of the components in your code (and can even help you spot mistakes--runon strings are all one colorfor exampleto run file of code that you are editing in idleuse run-run module in that file' text edit window that isselect the file' text edit windowopen that window' run pull-down menuand choose the run module option listed there (or use the equivalent keyboard shortcutgiven in the menupython will let you know that you need to save the idle user interface