Why don't you need a powerful ide for writing Python? [closed]

Question

I have heard before that many Python developers don't use an IDE like Eclipse because it is unnecessary with a language like Python.

What are the reasons people use to justify this claim?

Answer 1

Two Main Reasons

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1. Because of the dynamic typing and generally super-powerful functionality, there just isn't much extra typing that the IDE can do for you. Implementing a Java interface in a package is a lot of work and dozens of lines of boilerplate. In Python or Ruby it just doesn't have to be typed in the first place.

2. Because of the dynamic typing, the fancy editor doesn't have nearly as much information at its fingertips, and so the capability is reduced as well.

So the squeeze is top-down from the reduced need and bottom-up from the reduced editor capability, the net result being a really small application area. The benefit of using a fast and familiar day-to-day editor ends up higher than the benefit of the mostly-pointless IDE.

I suppose it's also possible that the categories are a bit fuzzy now. Vi(1) is the lightest-weight and fastest "plain" editor around, and yet vim(1) can now colorize every language under the sun and TextMate is classified as "lightweight", so all of the categories have really begun to merge a bit.

Answer 2

I'd say the main reason is because Python isn't horribly verbose like, e.g., Java. You don't need an IDE to generate 100s of lines of boilerplate because you don't need 100s of lines of boilerplate in Python. You tend to automate stuff within the language instead of further up the toolchain.

A second reason is that you don't need build process automation b/c there's no build process.

Answer 3

I'm going to risk offending some people and express something that I think a lot of python lovers will agree with: Java is so bloody cumbersome and verbose that one almost needs an IDE like Eclipse just to manage its unwieldy bloat.

With python, the main programming-specific features I want from my editor are syntax highlighting and a jump-to-definition command. Bonus points for a complementary return-from-jump command.

I find Geany does what I need, and is refreshingly light, quick, and stable compared to monster IDEs like Eclipse. For other suggestions, take a look at this question.

Answer 4

I know why you need (can benefit from) a good IDE - Rapid Application Development

Time is money :) And I'd much rather spend my time solving problems than typing every little piece of code in.