How does gVim compare to Geany for programming python?

[rob86]

I'm new to everything, Python, Vim and Geany.

I've done a bit of learning in Geany, and I think it's an excellent light weight IDE for my needs right now, as i'm not working on large projects just small bits of code but I've also been playing around with (g)Vim a bit, and I find it intuitive and fast, but I've only used it for small config edits, never larger tasks like writing code.

At first glance, I don't see any of the useful features from geany (or other IDE's) on gVim, like word completion, indent lines, folding blocks, auto indent, the handy function/variable/import index on the side..

I guess I'm a little confused because I hear these great reviews of vim describing it as the most functional and powerful editor yet in it's default state it doesn't seem to even compare to the relatively basic IDE Geany (aside from the fancy shortcut keys). Am I missing something? Plugins? Scripts?

Is it really possible to turn into gVim into a great IDE for python (or other language) programming or should I just stick with Geany and sacrifice the geeky pleasure of using vim?

ps: I'm not entirely against Emacs and could be converted, but I have been liking Vim more so far.

[TheStatsMan]

I am using some of the things in this thread. Perhaps give them a try for starters. I think most of what you want is covered in there.

http://dancingpenguinsoflight.com/2009/02/python-and-vim-make-your-own-ide/

After that Google vim python. Remember Google is your friend.

[MadCow108]

the big advantage of geany over vim/emacs and other IDE's is that its usable after installation.
No learning curve, no configuration no extra installations (except I prefer the geanyprj plugin over the default, so that needs would need installing if wanted)

For that it lacks in advanced editor features of vim/emacs and advanced IDE features of Eclipse/Netbeans/VStudio etc. But it has the basics.

Its perfect for small scale hacking, but still very usable in bigger projects.

So it really depends on what you need and how much time you want to invest in setting things up and learning.

[TheStatsMan]

On the plus side for vim the plugins are mostly straight forward to install, they usually just require copying files into ~/.vim and copying and pasting some text into /etc/vim/ . I mean really it is hardly a chore and it fits into the linux way of doing things. Most things in linux only the basics are provided and the users add things when needed rather than just having everything installed out of the box and never using the vast majority of it. Apart from reducing bloat it has the added benifit that users will tend to find out about features that they could be otherwise unaware of when they add only things that are necessary. Could you imagine the size of the manual for vim if everything was included be default.