[Python-ideas] Off topic: 'strike a balance' - second language English

[Jonathan Fine]

Hi Steve

You wrote:

> I would just like to point out that the ipython %paste magic very
> handily strips leading >, ... & + characters from the pasted block,
> (there is also some clever dedenting done).

[useful example, snipped]

> Which is ideal. I personally find that many beginners get on a lot
> better in the iPython console than in the python one.

Thank you very much for this. I didn't know about this solution to the
problem. Docs search for ipython brings up
<quote>
https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/interactive.html

One alternative enhanced interactive interpreter that has been around
for quite some time is IPython, which features tab completion, object
exploration and advanced history management. It can also be thoroughly
customized and embedded into other applications. Another similar
enhanced interactive environment is bpython.
</quote>

I've now played a little with (both look nice):
> https://www.bpython-interpreter.org
> https://repl.it/repls/LightcoralMoralDistributedcomputing

Perhaps beginners would benefit from something better than the
default, but simpler than ipython. But I don't have any experience to
support this view. There's related prior art in the well-regarded
https://codewith.mu/en/about. (Steve, I'd welcome your comments on
this.)

So thank you for bringing iPython's nifty %paste trick to my (and the
thread's) attention.

-- 
Jonathan