What is the best IDE to program in Python? Whenever this question arises in discussion forums around the world, there is almost a civil war among the users. But among the dead, the wounded and the crossfire of accusations of arrogance, usually all stay alive and well.
This simple question often invokes a crusade for some people. It happens probably not so much for the question itself, but to trying to sell their option as the best IDE/editor option. Do not click here!
Often, the ideal response to cases like this controversial question is, in any area of human knowledge, the simple…
The best IDE for Python? – It depends on…
Do you want to use the “best” IDE or just want to know which one more experienced programmers use? Python is your first language, or you come from platforms that have official IDEs de facto (Java = Eclipse) or by right (.Net = Visual Studio)? What operating system do you use? What type of application you want to develop: Scripts, command lines? Web application? Applications with GUI desktop?
As we can see, there are many variables to be taken into account. Without knowing the answer to each of these questions, it is almost impossible for someone to come up with a single and final answer that will make you happy forever.
The * default * answer
There is no such thing as “the best” IDE, as a matter of fact. If were, everyone would be using it. Python is a language that stands out for being intuitive, readable and easy too. Thus, a good text editor and an interactive interpreter should be sufficient for most cases. Some recommended text editors are:
However, if you already have the habit of using IDE and are sure you do not want to try a simpler programming style, try the following options and choose the one that is most comfortable for you:
Do you want to share your IDE of choice in the comments? Be our guest and do it!
Remember that you can find awesome videos at Livecoding.tv, like:
You also can find excellent material about Python in our project page!
