As for question number 2, PySerial works for both Mac, Windows and Linux.
Two methods for installation on Mac:
(Note that Python 2.7 must already installed.)
Method 0: Using Pip
- Open up terminal.
- Run the following line:
sudo pip install pyserial
Method 1: Manual installation:
Here is the download link:
https://pypi.python.org/pypi/pyserial/2.7
You will need to download the tar.gz file, extract, and follow the same installlation process as Windows, but using Terminal instead of the Command Prompt.