Getting a bash environment

Bash

Mac or Linux

If you are working on a Mac or Linux computer, this is already taken care of for you and you can just do a search for “terminal”.

Windows

If you are working on a Windows computer, you will need to set up a working command-line environment.

Windows 10 or later

• If your operating system is Windows 10 or later, the operating system includes a way to run a command-line environment. You can follow the helpful steps outlined here to get set up.

Earlier than Windows 10

• If you have an earlier Windows operating system, there are a few options. I’ve seen good results using Git for Windows, so if you’re open to suggestions of what to try, I’d say start with that. To give that a shot you can follow these instructions (updating if there is a newer version available).
  • Download the “Git-2.18.0-32-bit.exe” file from the Git for Windows download page (look near the bottom of the page in the “Assets” section).
  • After it is finished downloading, run the installer by opening the file and proceed through the installation, paying attention to these notes:
    • installing in the default folder location is fine
    • for “Which components should be installed?”, make sure the following boxes are checked: “On the Desktop”; “Git Bash Here”; “Git GUI Here”; “Associate .git* configuration files with the default text editor”; and “Associate .sh files to be run with Bash”
    • the shortcuts default location is fine
    • change the default Git editor to “Nano”
    • on the “Adjusting your PATH environment” screen, select “Use Git from Git Bash only”
    • just click “Next” on the remaining configuration windows, and “Install” at the final one
  • When the installation is finished, you should be able to open a terminal window by launching Git Bash from your desktop.