ChinStrap wrote: > When not using the interactive prompt, what are you using? I keep > hearing everyone say Emacs, but I can't understand it at all. I keep > trying to learn and understand why so many seem to like it because I > can't understand customization even without going through a hundred > menus that might contain the thing I am looking for (or I could go > learn another language just to customize!).
Epsilon http://www.lugaru.com/ is a commercial Emacs-like editor with a built-in Python mode and will automatically treat .py files as being Python. No fiddling is required. It works well, and I spend many of my waking hours in front of an Epsilon (even created a Fortran mode :)). I think Epsilon is used more on Windows than Linux/Unix, where Emacs and XEmacs have existed for a long time, but an Epsilon license contains binaries for Linux and other Unices as well. XEmacs/Emacs frustrate me, for example constantly asking if I want to enable a "recursive mini-buffer", which I have no clue about or interest in. Epsilon is a well-done Emacs IMO. A key benefit of Emacs-like editors, including Epsilon, is that one can run the shell (cmd.exe prompt on Windows, bash/csh/ksh on Unix) from within the editor. One can fill the entire screen with an Emacs, split it into buffers for source codes and a shell, and live happily ever after :). Standard output is not lost but can be retrieved just by scrolling up in the editor. I am addicted to running a shell within an Emacs-like editor. Of course there are many good editors -- don't feel obligated to use Emacs if you are happy and productive with something else. -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list