[Python-Dev] IDLE in the stdlib

[Paul Moore]

On 21 March 2013 00:38, Neil Hodgson <nyamatongwe at me.com> wrote:
> Terry Reedy:
>
>> Broken (and quirky): it has an absurdly limited output buffer (under a thousand lines)
>
>    The limit is actually 9999 lines.
>
>> Quirky: Windows uses cntl-C to copy selected text to the clipboard and (where appropriate) cntl-V to insert clipboard text at the cursor pretty much everywhere.
>
>    CP uses Ctrl+C to interrupt programs similar to Unix. Therefore it moves copy to a different key in a similar way to Unix consoles like GNOME Terminal and MATE Terminal which use Shift+Ctrl+C for copy despite Ctrl+C being the standard for other applications.

Can I suggest that debates about the capability of Windows command
line programming are off-topic here? Whether it is good or bad (and in
my view, it is perfectly adequate, and in some ways better than Unix)
it is what Windows users who use the command line are used to. The
experience with Python is *identical* to what people see with other
scripting languages like Perl, Ruby, etc. It's even similar to
something like Java (I know everyone uses something like Eclipse for
Java, but that's a 3rd party download). And there's Python Tools for
Visual Studio if people want a "real Windows IDE"...

If people teaching Python have problems with the current environment
(and I know we've had some very good feedback on that score) then
that's fine, let's address it. But simply saying "Windows users have
no usable command line so they need GUI support" is neither productive
nor true.

(Apologies if this sounds grumpy. I'll go and get my first cup of tea
of the day now...)
Paul.