Wagtail Unboxed episode 0b 4:48
Setting up your machine
Short, skippable, and it shows the failure modes rather than only the happy path. Already have Python 3.12, git and a virtualenv habit? Skip to episode 1.
What this episode covers
We install Python 3.12, git and an editor on Windows, macOS and Linux, then spend real time on virtual environments: what they actually are, why they matter, and the mistake that breaks people three episodes later — forgetting to activate in a new terminal.
Two things we are deliberately not installing: Postgres, because episodes 1 to 12 use the SQLite that ships inside Python and Postgres arrives in episode 13; and Node.js, because there is no front-end build step in this series at any point.
Chapters
- 0:00 Already set up? Skip this one
- 0:18 Four things, that's it
- 0:30 What we are NOT installing
- 0:53 Python 3.12 — Windows, macOS, Linux
- 1:15 The “Add to PATH” mistake
- 1:34 Check it worked
- 1:53 An editor
- 2:11 git
- 2:30 What a virtualenv actually is
- 2:54 Making one
- 3:05 The (.venv) prefix
- 3:16 The trap: new terminal, activate again
- 3:37 Windows: “running scripts is disabled”
- 3:55 Verify your starting line
- 4:07 No Wagtail yet — on purpose
- 4:28 Next episode
Versions on screen
Wagtail 7.4.3 · Django 6.1.1 · Python 3.12. Recorded on Windows; macOS and Linux commands are in the repository for every episode.