Re: Python education survey

On Dec 20, 10:58 am, Andrea Crotti <andrea.crott...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 12/20/2011 03:51 AM, Raymond Hettinger wrote:









Do you use IDLE when teaching Python?
If not, what is the tool of choice?

Students may not be experienced with the command-line and may be
running Windows, Linux, or Macs.  Ideally, the tool or IDE will be
easy to install and configure (startup directory, path, associated
with a particular version of Python etc).

Though an Emacs user myself, I've been teaching with IDLE because it's
free; it runs on multiple OSes, it has tooltips and code colorization
and easy indent/dedent/comment/uncomment commands, it has tab
completion; it allows easy editing at the interactive prompt; it has
an easy run-script command (F5); it has direct access to source code
(File OpenModule) and a class browser (Cntl+B).

On the downside, some python distros aren't built with the requisite
Tcl/Tk support; some distros like the Mac OS ship with a broken Tcl/Tk
so users have to install a fix to that as well; and IDLE sometimes
just freezes for no reason.  It also doesn't have an easy way to
specify the startup directory.

If your goal is to quickly get new users up and running in Python,
what IDE or editor do you recommend?

Raymond

I think ipython and a good editor gives a much nicer experience
than IDLE, which I actually almost never used, and
for everything else there is python and python-mode.

New users however can be pointed to something like PyCharm
or Eclipse+PyDev if they are more familiar to IDEs..

I agree; IPython is a excellent choice. You have a much more powerful
interactive Python experience, with all the features you need from an
IDE. You can use any editor (VIM) and you can also readily hack
IPython to death.

I think the fact that anyone with basic programming skills can
substantially enhance their console is a big winner in CS education.
It gives students something they personally value to work on, it's a
place to store all their little bits of code and actually benefit from
them in real life.

I've never met a programmer that got familiar with IPython and then
went on to stop using it. It should be included in the standard
library and used as the default Python interactive environment.

The last line of my .bashrc file:

ipython3
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Python education survey
    ... easy to install and configure (startup directory, path, associated ... what IDE or editor do you recommend? ... for everything else there is python and python-mode. ... IPython is a excellent choice. ...
    (comp.lang.python)
  • Re: Freesoftware for auto/intelligent code completing in Python
    ... Freesoftware for auto/intelligent code completing in Python ... If you guys can get your head out of IDE land, you'll find iPython ... If you can't get your Windows-centric IDE need eliminated, ... Komodo Edit is a free download and will Auto-complete. ...
    (comp.lang.python)
  • Python - NAWIT / Community
    ... not another which ide thread. ... My question relates to community contribution. ... for the moment pydev can be installed as part of the Aptana studio 2/3 ... I started thinking that the only consistent env each python person has ...
    (comp.lang.python)
  • Re: Newbie Help
    ... A decent text editor will allow you to have multiple files open in tabs ... Python command line, and at least one other open to run my python code, ... run unit tests and doc tests, ... no IDE can beat the command line. ...
    (comp.lang.python)
  • Re: XSLT speed comparisons
    ... If your using python 2.4.3 or essentially any of the 2.3, 2.4 series, ... i'd test out PyScripter as an IDE, it's one of the best that I've used. ... I'll look into pyrxp Larry. ... discoverability is purported to be one of its strong sides but coming ...
    (comp.lang.python)