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I have read through various posts here on the pros/cons of a wide array of Python environments. That being said, I am even more confused than prior to engaging in this due diligence.

My application is algorithmic trading, backtesting and analytical tool development and so I know I want the following functionality:

-numpy

-scipy

-Matplotlib

-spyder IDE

It seems like the installation of spyder on macos is non-trivial based on comments posted by users here http://code.google.com/p/spyderlib/wiki/Installation and so before I go down a rabbit hole I was wondering if someone could better guide me on the process and pre-requisites.

I came across the following post on stackoverflow, which seemed to indicate that I could just install the EPD-7.1 distribution and then install spyder separately but I'm not sure if the EPD distribution comes with all of the pre-requisites necessary for spyder.

Python distributions and environments for scientific computing

The following seems to be a guide on how to install spyder on macos but I'm not sure if this is current and whether installation of EPD makes some of the steps unnecessary.

http://works13.com/blog/mac/howto-install-spyder-1-x-on-mac-os-x-with-64bit-python.htm

Lastly, if I were to install EPD - is it better to go with 32-bit or 64-bit.

Thank you very much for your guidance.

Community
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codingknob
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  • So I discovered that pyflakes is already bundled with the EPD distribution as per http://www.enthought.com/products/epdlibraries-past.php?ver=6.1 . So that leaves QScintilla, PyQt, QScintilla Python bindings, SIP and QT. I still have no idea why any of these pieces of software need to be installed to run SPYDER on MACOS. For instance what is the purpose of QT? Its 1.3 GB in size (http://qt.nokia.com/downloads)? Is this necessary? It would be nice if there was a document that described what was needed to run SPYDER on MACOS and why. – codingknob Nov 20 '11 at 22:13

4 Answers4

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Anaconda seems to be exactly what you're looking for: spyder, numpy, scipy, and matplotlib all work right out of the box.

kuzzooroo
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I was in the boat as well. Too many options and too many opinions. I was also very much lost and to be honest, still feeling a bit soo! I am new to python and I am also not a proficient user of the terminal on Mac OS. Still, I managed to do the following to get spyder3 running on my new Mac running on High Sierra 10.13.4

Install Python3 using terminal Mac OS command: $ brew doctor $ brew install python3 (please note that my Mac OS High Sierra already had Python 2.x installed in it and I did not touch it. )

Then I installed Spyder using the recommended approach described here https://github.com/spyder-ide/spyder/releases

Hope it helps!

VIshva Mitra
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  • (*Spyder maintainer here*) Please read carefully our installation instructions [here](https://github.com/spyder-ide/spyder/releases). Using `pip` is not our recommended nor the easiest way to install Spyder. So, if you're so kind, please remove your answer to not confuse other newbies that come to StackOverflow looking for answers. – Carlos Cordoba May 21 '18 at 16:40
  • I did! Please check. – VIshva Mitra May 21 '18 at 21:06
  • Thanks a lot for helping us with this! – Carlos Cordoba May 21 '18 at 22:58
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The shortest path to a working analytic environment is the Enthought Python Distribution. The PythonXY build is also nice (easy to install, etc) but has fewer preinstalled features (a lighter footprint).

Spyderlib works cleanly with PythonXY. With EPD, there a couple of open issues:

I can't think of any reason to prefer a 32-bit build over a 64-bit build.

Raymond Hettinger
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  • Thank you Raymond for your feedback. So I'm using MACOS, which I understand is not supported by PythonXY. That leaves me with the EPD 7.1 option. If that is the case what additional packages do I need to install that are not already part of EPD? Do I have to install Pyflakes, QT, SIP, QScintilla and PyQt separately? I know Numpy and SciPy already come bundled with the EPD install. – codingknob Nov 19 '11 at 20:27
  • Any additional insights on how I can get sypder to function on MacOS. It seems one needs to have in-depth developer level knowledge of compiler internals to get any of this done. Appreciate the feedback. – codingknob Nov 24 '11 at 18:25
  • I've given up. I purchased PyCharm. Spyder is definitely not commercial ready for the MacOS otherwise it wouldnt take days/weeks to come to an answer about whether its even possible to get it to work. Thanks for the help though Raymond and PrgTrdr - I appreciate it. – codingknob Nov 24 '11 at 20:32
  • Hi, for what is worth, Spyder is far more easier to install in MacOs now than a year ago. During the summer I created a proper app, and it's just a matter of download it and move it to your Applications folder. Sorry for your bad experiences, but I hope you could give a try again. – Carlos Cordoba Oct 25 '12 at 14:18
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It depends on what kind of algo trading you intend to do but for anything that is time sensitive (such as actual trading) Python will likely be too slow. That said, it can be a good tool for backtesting and strategy development, although things like Streambase that can do everything might be a better choice.

PrgTrdr
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  • Thanks PrgTdr for your feedback. I'm an independent trader operating out of my home. My trading is not extremely time sensitive - I do have some intraday strategies but they aren't really high frequency i.e. 5 min bars at the highest. That being said, I'm looking for a good environment to backtest and develop tools hence my interest in python/spyder since it is open source and I get away from Matlab. – codingknob Nov 20 '11 at 20:01