editor for Python on Linux

[Robert Boyd]

On 2/19/06, Mladen Adamovic <adamm_n0 at spamm_blic.net> wrote:
> Hi!
>
> I wonder which editor or IDE you can recommend me for writing Python
> programs. I tried with jEdit but it isn't perfect.
>

I know you said in the thread that you had problems with jEdit for
Python, and didn't care for Emacs or Vi(m).

Still -- in my experience, I've used jEdit for Python for about the
past 5 years, and never had a problem with jEdit's indentation. I did
not set up as a full-fledged IDE with code completion or module
browsing -- I never got the jpydebug plugin working to my
satisfaction. I think jEdit is an excellent editor.

I've tried pretty much all of the well-known editor/IDE options.
Komodo is nice to work with, but expensive (I code for pay, so can't
use the cheap license) compared to even WingIDE. Also, I don't like
the Komodo module browser. The latest pydev for Eclipse is greatly
improved. But with Eclipse you get all the overhead of a
projects-requiring IDE, which may feel like overkill if you're writing
small scripts. Plus, for the Python stuff to work, you have to import
files into a project that's defined as a Python project (not true for
the other full-blown IDEs). For fast and small (opposite of Eclipse),
Scite is nice, but auto-completion can only use words that exist in
the opened file, not the available methods in your namespace.

Despite all the good choices, I have gone back to my old standby, Vim,
alongside IPython.  If you dislike the vim way of editing, there's a
user-friendlier version of Vim called Cream. With vim plus IPython,
you get syntax highlighting, auto-indent, code completion, code
browser (tags), interactive help, ability to run your code and drop
into a debugger, file explorer, etc (and I haven't even gotten all the
vim Python tools installed yet). Add winpdg if you like a more GUI
debugger, and you've got the makings of a great development
environment.

If you really _have_ to have a full-blown IDE with a modern-looking
GUI, with dockable windows and all that, try the Komodo and WingIDE
trials. If you aren't coding for a living, you might want to pay the
price for a non-professional license. Try Eclipse with pydev, too. But
for your intended purpose, you might decide you can use a
lighter-weight setup.