##
2.1.2 Interactive Mode

When commands are read from a tty, the interpreter is said to be in interactive mode. In this mode it prompts for the next command with the primary prompt, usually three greater-than signs ("`>>>` "); for continuation lines it prompts with the secondary prompt, by default three dots ("`...` ").

The interpreter prints a welcome message stating its version number and a copyright notice before printing the first prompt, e.g.:

      python
      Python 1.5.2b2 (#1, Feb 28 1999, 00:02:06)  [GCC 2.8.1] on sunos5
      Copyright 1991-1995 Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam
      >>>