In this chapter, we explored the Python ecosystem that is part of a typical Unix-based operating system such as Raspbian OS and learned that Python is a core element of the operating system tooling. We then covered how to create and navigate a Python virtual environment so that we can sandbox our Python projects so they will not interfere with one another or the system-level Python ecosystem.
Next, we learned how to use the Python package management tool, pip, to install and manage Python library dependencies from within a virtual environment, and we did this by installing the GPIOZero and PiGPIO libraries. And since there will be times that we need to execute a Python script as the root user, from outside its virtual environment or during boot up, we also covered these various techniques.
By default, Raspbian does not have all of its GPIO interfaces enabled, so we performed the configuration needed to enable these features so that they are readily available for use in later chapters. We also started and learned how to set up the PiGPIO daemon service so that it starts every time your Raspberry Pi is booted.
The core knowledge you have gained in this chapter will help you to correctly set up and navigate sandboxed Python development environments for your own IoT (and non-IoT) projects and safely install library dependencies so they do not interfere with your other Python projects or the system-level installation of Python. Your understanding of different ways of executing a Python program will also help you to run your projects with elevated user permissions (that is, as the root user), or at boot, should your project have these requirements.
Next, in Chapter 2, Getting Started with Python and IoT, we will jump straight into Python and electronics and create an end-to-end internet-enabled program that can control an LED over the internet. We will take a look at two alternative ways of flashing an LED using the GPIOZero and PiGPIO GPIO libraries before connecting our LED to the internet by using an online service, dweet.io, as our networking layer.
