Starting Python programming: To IDLE or not to IDLE?

[CaptainLinux94]

Hey guys (and gals),

I've been on the internet and found some good tutorials (in advance I'm going to say I've been to LaRoza's wiki, no need to reccomend it I'm already using it) on python.

For a beginner, should I be using IDLE or is that just a step too far? Should I only use GEdit to edit python code and then run it from a terminal window?

Thanks,
CP94

[Caduceus]

When you're starting off, IDE's aren't all that necessary, but if yo already have IDLE installed, or just like it there's no good reason not to use it.

[nick_h]

I agree, use which ever you prefer.

[CaptainLinux94]

When you're starting off, IDE's aren't all that necessary, but if yo already have IDLE installed, or just like it there's no good reason not to use it.

Thank you. I thought I had heard someone say earlier on the forums you shouldn't start using IDEs when learning to program. I really appreciate your thoughts.

[Ferrat]

Most IDE's have a simple gedit look about them when just using basics, also if you can find a good IDE for the language you're using then it would be good o get a feel for it and slowly learn all that it can do.

[ibutho]

Use whatever you like, because I don't think it makes any difference to the learning process. When I first started with Python I used IDLE a lot as well as KATE.

[LaRoza]

Gedit has a Python plugin, so you can have an interactive terminal in the gedit window.

[CptPicard]

IDLE is bad... I never understood why some people use it. If you want a *real* Python IDE, check out Eric. Python is the kind of language where IDEs are not of much help though; dynamically typed languages don't really contain much information for the IDE to work with... most you just get is a hopefully decent editor (which you can get elsewhere) and some project management tools.

[LaRoza]

IDLE is bad... I never understood why some people use it. If you want a *real* Python IDE, check out Eric. Python is the kind of language where IDEs are not of much help though; dynamically typed languages don't really contain much information for the IDE to work with... most you just get is a hopefully decent editor (which you can get elsewhere) and some project management tools.

I think it is better on Windows than Linux from what I heard. I never used it on Windows (I rarely use Windows at all), so I don't know.

[skeeterbug]

I think it is better on Windows than Linux from what I heard. I never used it on Windows (I rarely use Windows at all), so I don't know.

I use it on Windows occasionally if I need to do a quick edit. It does the basics pretty well (formatting, etc). I like PyDev (Eclipse plugin) the best. It does refactoring and has *some* intellisense capabilities. As much as a dynamically typed language would allow at least.

[gnuman]

Thank you. I thought I had heard someone say earlier on the forums you shouldn't start using IDEs when learning to program. I really appreciate your thoughts.

If you were, say, learning Java, you would have to choose between large-scale IDE's like Java Beans or just using something like Geany, with some Java highlighting. There's a huge difference in those two levels of IDEs, and when people say beginners should avoid an IDE, they really mean the big ones. I have students just trying to learn Java (poor souls) that use Java Beans and when they go to write a "hello world" they're wondering what they should name their "project" and all that, as the IDE will create a whole file system for you, etc. Much better to use a text editor that supports Java.

With Python, all the IDE's mentioned so far are small scale IDE's that won't get in the way of learning.

One thing about IDLE: my student like it because after running a script the objects remain in the namespace so they can stilll work with them in interactive mode.

[pmasiar]

IDLE for Windows is nice enough and simple enough. It does not look as nice under linux, but still is decent IDE (simple: no extra features which will distract you while learning basics).

Later, you probably would want either more prefessional IDE (I like SPE), or just good universal editor which you use also for everything else. Decent simple one (for both Win and Linux) is SciTE. Or you can go all the way to Vim/Emacs divide.