On Dec 25, 5:44 pm, Rick Johnson <rantingrickjohn...@gmail.com> wrote: > On Dec 19, 9:51 pm, Raymond Hettinger <raymond.hettin...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > Do you use IDLE when teaching Python? > > If not, what is the tool of choice? > > I believe IDLE has the potential to be a very useful teaching tool and > even in it's current abysmal state, i find it to be quite useful. > > > 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). > > Why install an IDE when IDLE is already there? Oh, yes, IDLE SUCKS. I > know that already. But this revelation begs the question... Why has > this community allowed IDLE to rot? Why has guido NOT started a public > discussion on the matter? > > > 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). > > Yes, IDLE has all the basic tools anyone would need. Some people > complain about a debugger, but i never use a debugger anyway. I feel > debuggers just wreaken your debugging skills. > > > On the downside, some python distros aren't built with the requisite > > Tcl/Tk support; > > And who's fault is that? > > > 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. > > And who's fault is that? > > > [IDLE] also doesn't have an easy way to > > specify the startup directory. > > Are you kidding me? That could be fixed so easily! > > > If your goal is to quickly get new users up and running in Python, > > what IDE or editor do you recommend? > > IDLE, of course. But NOT in its current state. > > Why would myself (or anyone) go to the trouble of downloading third > party IDEs when IDLE is just waiting there for us to use? I for one, > like to use tools that have open source code. And what is a better > Python IDE than a Python IDE written in PYTHON? I ask ya? > > Also, what is the purpose of this thread Raymond? Are you (and others) > considering removing IDLE from the source distro? > > You know. Many folks in this community have known for a long time how > much i love IDLE, but at the same time how much i loath it's atrocious > code base. I also know for a fact, that many "movers and shakers" > within this community simultaneously use IDLE, and want to see IDLE > code improved. However. None of these fine folks have taken the time > to contact me privately so we can discuss such an evolution. Why is > that? It boggles the mind really.
Do people seriously use IDLE? I thought it was just there for scratchers, like turtle. -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list