IDE for Python ?

[Ravi Teja]

news at absamail.co.za wrote:
> I'm getting realy tired of learning new languages.
> And especially frustrated at the 'syntax errors' when switching
> between them.
>
> There are basically only a few common concepts needed for
> all the languages.   Hence linux's p2c: Pascal to C translator.
>
> A good IDE could hide the irrelevant details of the syntax,
> much like DOS/Norton-commander--Linux/mc hides the
> details, and makes visual, the common actions on files:
> move, copy, view ...edit ...search ....etc.
>
> Besides, I guess Python itself would be good to make such
> an IDE ?   Is there any such tool available/recomended ?
>
> == Chris Glur.

You obviously have not learnt many languages. First you have a very
wrong notion that all languages are very similar. Pascal and C are
similar languages (Hence P2C, BCX etc). But Pascal and C do not
constitute *all* languages. There is a world of a difference between
(Lisp and C) or (Haskell and Pascal) or (Prolog and Javascript). The
differences between languages is not syntax but the theory and the
favored model of solving problems behind them. Java, for example favors
problem decomposition into objects. Lisp primarily decomposes problems
to lists. Prolog to rules. Haskell to functions etc. Model
representation (syntax) is secondary to this model.

It is possible to represent problems at a higher level for a given
model. For example OOP models can be represented in UML. MDA attempts
to create executable programs based on these abstract models. These
typically succeed only in well defined domains as 4GL tools.

Can there be a common rendition between models of all languages? Yes.
It is called machine code / byte code and it does not *hide* details
from you. It is the detail. That is the marketing buzz behind .NET's
CLR. Similarly there are about 200 languages / mini languages that
compile to Java byte code.

There have been attempts to create point and click tools for low level
programming constructs like if clauses and for loops in the past. I
came across atleast one for Java. I cannot remember the name now.
Needless to say, none have succeeded.

In short, there is no escape. If you want to create software, you must
learn languages. The more you know (from different models), the better
software you create, even if you can't use them all.