If you would like to get a taste of Python get started with this tutorial (included in the official documentation) which is very straight forward and does not presume any previous knowledge of the language. However, it is recommended to have at least Python installed (see next section).
Anothe way to get started from zero is the Beginner’s Guide to Python.
Although Python runs on Windows with no problems, sometimes it’s difficult to get started in this OS because of some small details that interfere with what whould be a smooth process on a *Nix system.
Syntax (e.g. path delimiters), permissions, end-of-line character, etc, can stop the user from doing what he should be doing, i.e. learning the language, instead of dealing with Windows annoyances (for more information on this topic, go to annoyances.org).
That’s why there is a special section on the Python documentation called Python on Windows FAQ. So, if you are having issues with Python stuff on a Windows OS, go read that FAQ.
Python(x,y) is a free Python distribution providing a ready-to-use scientific development software for numerical computations, data analysis and data visualization based on Python programming language, Qt graphical user interfaces (and development framework) and Spyder interactive development environment. Its purpose is to help scientific programmers used to interpreted languages (such as MATLAB or IDL) or compiled languages (C/C++ or Fortran) to switch to Python.
It is very popular for Windows, but there is a GNU/Linux version too.
To have Python installed means you have installed a Python interpreter. In a UNIX-like system (e.g. GNU-Linux, Mac OS, etc) you probably won’t need to because it is often included in the base installation. On Microsoft Windows, however, it is not so you won’t have it unless it was a dependency for some software (e.g. GIMP). Curious about that? Go read Why is Python Installed on my Computer? FAQ
If you can’t or don’t want to install Python, you can resort to online interpreters made available by some generous or commercial efforts. Here are free alternatives:
Dave Kuhlman’s page. Open Source software projects by Dave Kuhlman.
These projects are implemented in or for Python. These projects center around XML, parsing XML, etc. They provide tools for building data mapping and Web services. Keywords are: python, xml, editor, text processing, python training.