[Pythonmac-SIG] wxPython and IDE issues

[Stephanie Schaeffer]

   I'm just new to Python, having been a Lisp hacker for many years. I'm 
trying to convert an application I have in MCL Common Lisp to Python. I 
wonder if someone who has been through some of the following hurdles 
can help me out a bit.

   1) What is a good IDE to use on the Mac (I have Panther) when you are 
using wx? The IDE that comes with MacPython doesn't work with wx. I am 
currently using Dr.Python, but would like a more helpful debugger.
   2) In MCL lisp, I could create windows interactively and see things 
happen. I can't seem to do that with Python (and wx). It seems to want 
to create an application which is then only event driven, and my 
interactive window where I type in text is ignored until the 
application stops. Am I missing something here? I am doing this from 
DrPython. I'd like to be able to interactively create a window, and 
then call routines to add shapes to it, etc. Preferably without having 
to implement a separate "listener" of my own.

Should I use a different GUI package? A different IDE? Or am I just 
asking too much of Python at this stage of its development (especially 
on a Mac).

Any help would be more than welcome!

Thanks so much,
     Steph Schaeffer
     University of Alberta
     steph at cs.ualberta.ca