[Python-Dev] IDLE in the stdlib

[Stephen J. Turnbull]

Paul Moore writes:

 > I have no figures one way or the other on that. You may well be
 > right.  Are we aiming at "all Windows users" here?

We need to be careful about this.  ISTM that IDLE is aiming at the
subset of users on any platform who for some reason need/want a simple
development environment that is consistent across Python versions and
platforms and immediately available when they install Python, but
don't have one yet.

I think that there's been sufficient testimony to demonstrate that
there are a fair number of folks in that boat.  Educators (acting as
proxies for a couple of orders of magnitude more students) are one
identifiable group.  Beginning Python users on Windows who don't use
English in their daily lives and therefore need an environment that
deals with the nightmare of "code pages" and "POSIX locales" are
another.

 > My experience may well be atypical, I can't say.

I suppose it is reasonably typical.  I'm sure everybody (by now,
including Guido!)  have many parts of the stdlib they just never need
to use, nor does anybody around them.  Most of us rarely to never want
IDLE.  That's not the point.

The "batteries included" slogan is inaccurate in the sense that
everybody needs batteries or their toys won't run.  The batteries that
slogan refers to aren't for everyone, rather the hope is that there
are enough different batteries in the kit that everyone can get
started.  They can always get Twisted later.<wink/>