[Pythonmac-SIG] Mac User Python newbies

[Troy Rollins]

I'm a developer who primarily works with higher level languages, and
integrated tools. Director, REALbasic, Revolution. I've done plenty of
advanced scripting with those tools, and am trying to move into Python
for the open-source benefits, among other things. I've just ordered
several books which should help me with the scripting hurdles, and the
methodologies... but no matter how many web sites I scan, and how many
downloads I've done, I can't quite see how to build and maintain a
cohesive toolset. There are thousands of individual parts and pieces,
lots of semi-working IDEs and debuggers...

I've looked through some of the archives for this list, but I've yet
to find anything written for Mac users that is aimed at -
Getting you, the Mac user who is familiar with scripting, up and running with -
1) Python
2) An IDE and debugger (Xcode?)
3) A GUI toolkit (wxWidgets?)

>From my end, I think I have evrything running, but I don't know if I
want to tackle this without the "security" of an environment which
includes code colorization (if not completion), a debugger, and
ideally a interactive interpreter tied in for command line testing.
I've taken a look at several of them, but they all seem to have
stability issues. Can Xcode behave like what a Python developer would
like, with the above mentioned features? Is it easy to set up? If so,
that would seem to be the way to go. Is there a better option?

I apologize for the newbiness of the post, but Python is a natural
location for a lot of different types of people to migrate to, and
I've noted a running theme about that in some recent posts here. For
those of us with limited command line experience, and no C++ or
low-level programming experience, it is a bit bewildering. There is
almost too much info available, and none of it is aimed at getting you
set up with a development toolset which can really get you off the
ground, and behaves anything like an integrated experience. To move
from a commercial IDE with many bells and whistles (like Director)
into a black and white text editor would seem a bit harsh.

Thanks for any insights, suggestions, comments, or reference links.
-- 
Troy Rollins
RPSystems, Ltd.
www.rpsystems.net