To get the most out of this book

Readers of this book should know how to execute Python programs in a development environment, or simply from a command prompt. They should also be familiar with general syntax and practices in Python programming (variables, functions, importing packages, and so on). Some basic computer science knowledge of elements such as pixels, the execution stack, and bytecode instructions is assumed at various points throughout this book.

The final section of Chapter 1, Advanced Introduction to Concurrent and Parallel Programming, covers the process of getting your Python environment set up. Chapters in this book might discuss the use of external libraries or tools that have to be installed via a package manager such as pip and Anaconda, and specific instructions on how to install those libraries are included in their corresponding chapters.