[Python-ideas] Have REPL print less by default

[Paul Moore]

On 19 April 2016 at 10:35, Koos Zevenhoven <k7hoven at gmail.com> wrote:
> I was once a basic user, but I still have no idea what "IDLE" is. Does
> it come with python?
>
> I have tried
>
> $ idle
> $ python -m idle
> $ python -m IDLE
> $ python --idle
>
> To be honest, I do remember seeing a shortcut to IDLE in one of my
> Windows python installations, and I've seen it come up in discussions.
> However, it does not seem to me that IDLE is something that beginners
> would know to turn to. I do use IPython. IPython is nice---too bad it
> starts up slowly and is not recommended by default.

On Windows, it's set up as a shortcut in the start menu alongside
Python, with a tooltip "Launches IDLE, the interactive environment for
Python 3.5". And Python scripts have an "Edit with IDLE" option on the
right click menu. So it's where most Windows users would naturally
look when searching for "the Python GUI".

Discoverability of IDLE on other platforms isn't something I know much
about, sorry.

(I should also point out that I'm a relentless command line user on
Windows, so my comments above about Windows are based on my experience
watching what my "normal Windows user" colleagues do, not on my
personal habits...)

Paul