If I let raw_input like that, no Josh or anything else. It's a variable,I think,but I don't understand her roll :-(
The raw_input function prompts you for input and returns that as a string. This certainly worked for me. You don't need idle. Just open a "DOS prompt" and run the program.
This is what it looked like for me:
C:\temp>type test.py
print "Halt!"
s = raw_input("Who Goes there? ")
print "You may pass,", s
C:\temp>python test.py
Halt!
Who Goes there? Magnus
You may pass, Magnus
I types my name and pressed [Enter
] after the program
had printed "Who Goes there?"