Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!goblin3!goblin2!goblin.stu.neva.ru!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed3.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail
MIME-Version: 1.0
In-Reply-To: <lq9fa2$7aj$1@ger.gmane.org>
References: <mailman.10416.1401304999.18130.python-list@python.org> <5389cb53$0$29978$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <99b7b2a2-7521-42d7-a5a0-1a35d4d5b922@googlegroups.com> <53C4A454.9010600@gmail.com> <mailman.11826.1405398039.18130.python-list@python.org> <lq365f$4c9$1@speranza.aioe.org> <mailman.11836.1405429260.18130.python-list@python.org> <lq3bvu$ob4$1@dont-email.me> <mailman.11838.1405434699.18130.python-list@python.org> <87zjga4j4v.fsf@elektro.pacujo.net> <53c57bae$0$9505$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <87iomy4ciy.fsf@elektro.pacujo.net> <53c5f6dc$0$9505$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <87egxl4zq8.fsf@elektro.pacujo.net> <mailman.11880.1405520883.18130.python-list@python.org> <c3cd4600-9c22-4261-b7bf-ac325dbf4e6c@googlegroups.com> <53c73ff0$0$29897$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <9ef930a0-5a41-4a20-a13a-003c9e8246fe@googlegroups.com> <lq87i5$3ae$5@speranza.aioe.org> <fe0e9719-3829-4d96-8a42-fcb0f30c4cdb@googlegroups.com> <lq97qe$8j5$1@ger.gmane.org> <lq9fa2$7aj$1@ger.gmane.org>
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 12:15:15 +1000
Subject: Re: Python 3 is killing Python
From: Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com>
Cc: "python-list@python.org" <python-list@python.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Precedence: list
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
Message-ID: <mailman.11976.1405649724.18130.python-list@python.org>
Lines: 36
NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6
Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:74711

On Fri, Jul 18, 2014 at 7:30 AM, Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> wrote:
> That is something of a problem as people 'graduate' to multi-language
> environments. However, while I have programmed in about 20 languages during
> my lifetime, I have now 'contracted' to using only Python (except for the
> occasional .bat file). So I use Idle to work on both my own stuff and on
> fixing Idle.  When I notice an issue while working on an issue, I file a new
> issue.

Glad to hear it. Best way to make sure Idle stays developed is for its
core developers to actively use it.

For myself, though, I completely do not use the editor half of it; but
it's spectacularly useful (with limitations) as my primary interactive
interpreter. That's partly because, on Windows, the command-line
interpreter absolutely *sucks* (because most of its UI comes from
cmd.exe - my view might be different if I had a different shell, but
there's no point because Idle just blows it away), and partly because
command recall/editing works on entire syntactic units rather than on
lines. In fact, if I were to name *one single feature* that made Idle
useful rather than a mere toy, it would have to be the ability to
recall an entire function/class definition from command history for
further editing. That is hugely helpful to me. It's what makes Python
actually 100% usable in interactive mode - go right ahead, define
functions and classes just as you would in a file! (Okay, you have to
watch out about blank lines. Not usually an issue, but you'll possibly
notice that I seldom have any internal blanks when I post a class
definition on-list - it's because I usually write them in Idle.)

The only problem I have with it is that blatting ridiculous amounts of
text to the console can take a very long time, esp on Windows. If I
accidentally display a large object when I thought I was displaying a
small one, it'll hang for quite a while, churning through something,
and it's not easy to see why or to halt it. But I suspect that's more
of a Windows and/or Tk issue than an Idle one.

ChrisA