IPython is available for most popular platforms. Here's a concise installation summary distilled from the official IPython installation page (which has more detail):

• Windows, Macintosh:

  • Install Anaconda.
  • Open a shell session (Windows: command window).
  • Type:

    conda update conda
    conda update ipython
                      

• Linux:

  1. Install IPython and dependencies:

     • Ubuntu/Debian distributions:

       $ sudo apt-get install ipython-notebook
                           

     • Fedora/related distributions:

       $ sudo yum install python-ipython-notebook
                           

  2. Install math and science libraries:

     • Ubuntu/Debian distributions:

       $ sudo apt-get install python-matplotlib python-scipy \
         python-pandas python-sympy python-nose
                           

     • Fedora/related distributions:

       $ sudo yum install python-matplotlib scipy python-pandas sympy python-nose
                           

Installed Version

The above installation procedures should install IPython version 2.0.0 or newer. Make sure this is so, otherwise some of the examples in these articles won't work. In a shell session, to get the installed IPython version, type:

$ ipython -V
            

The response should be "2.0.0" or higher.

To run IPyton from the command line, open a shell session and type:

$ ipython
            

The response should be something like this (with minor variations):

Python 2.7.5+ (default, Feb 27 2014, 19:37:08)
Type "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.

IPython 2.0.0 — An enhanced Interactive Python.
?         -> Introduction and overview of IPython's features.
%quickref -> Quick reference.
help      -> Python's own help system.
object?   -> Details about 'object', use 'object??' for extra details.

In [1]: 
            

To start the IPython notebook interface, open a shell session and type:

$ ipython notebook
            

A typical IPython response would be:

2014-04-15 13:17:54.003 [NotebookApp] Using existing profile dir: u'/home/username/.ipython/profile_default'
2014-04-15 13:17:54.028 [NotebookApp] Using MathJax from CDN: http://cdn.mathjax.org/mathjax/latest.js
2014-04-15 13:17:54.076 [NotebookApp] Serving notebooks from local directory: /home/username
2014-04-15 13:17:54.076 [NotebookApp] 0 active kernels 
2014-04-15 13:17:54.076 [NotebookApp] The IPython Notebook is running at: http://127.0.0.1:8888/
2014-04-15 13:17:54.077 [NotebookApp] Use Control-C to stop this server and shut down all kernels (twice to skip confirmation).
            

The above shows that IPython has started a local Web server hosting the notebook interface. Make note of the Web server's address and port (often it's 127.0.0.1:8888), and enter it into your favorite browser to begin your notebook session:

Automation

There's no need to type the above commands more than once — starting IPython can be as simple as clicking a desktop icon, a scheme whose details differ depending on the platform.

Here's a list of IPython-related resources, worth exploring, especially for detailed user documentation and examples:

• ipython.org — a good starting point for installation and documentation.
• IPython installation — detailed installation instructions.
• IPython online documentation — learn how to use IPython.
• IPython quick reference sheets — concise guides to often-used commands and keystrokes.
• Sympy Documentation — documentation for the Python symbolic math library.
• Matplotlib -- documentation for the Python plotting library.