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To: python-list@python.org
From: Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au>
Subject: Python-friendly IDE (was: Python IDE.)
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 11:17:58 +1100
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kiloran <kiloran.public@gmail.com> writes:

> I'm very happy with Eclipse

Eclipse has many benefits:

* It is not Python-specific. I consider it a grave mistake to invest a
  lot of effort in learning a Python-specific development environment,
  when there are plenty of good environments that do not tie you
  especially to one language.

* It respects software freedom, i.e. it is licensed as free software
  <URL:https://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v10.html>. This has many
  benefits <URL:https://fsfe.org/about/basics/freesoftware.en.html>.

* Because it is free software, any motivated programmer (not only the
  vendor) can adapt it for any platform, so as a result it runs fine on
  every major desktop platform today.

* Because it is free software, the user community (not only the vendor)
  can direct how it meets their needs, and there is a thriving ecosystem
  of plug-ins to adapt it to various workflows.

* Because it is free software, your investment spent learning to use it
  will not become worthless when the vendor loses interest in
  maintaining it.

* Because it is free software, the user community is free to set up an
  ecosystem that works with it, and they have: the Eclipse Marketplace
  <URL:https://marketplace.eclipse.org/>.

* Because it is free software with a thriving community, there are many
  resources available for putting it to work with popular languages like
  Python:

  * PyDev <URL:http://pydev.org/> makes Eclipse into a Python IDE.

  * Lars Vogel maintains a tutorial for driving Eclipse and PyDev
    <URL:http://www.vogella.com/tutorials/Python/article.html>.

  * Version control integration, using either Mercurial
    <URL:http://mercurial.selenic.com/wiki/MercurialEclipse>
    or Git <URL:https://www.eclipse.org/egit/>.

  * and more: build system integration, unit testing integration, code
    refactoring, packaging, etc.

I don't actually use Eclipse (Unix is my IDE). But the fact that it's
free software with a thriving user-community-driven ecosystem makes me
very glad it exists.

For a counterpoint, with much discussion of the downsides, see
<URL:https://wiki.python.org/moin/EclipsePythonIntegration>.

-- 
 \     “Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do |
  `\        it from religious conviction.” —Blaise Pascal (1623–1662), |
_o__)                                                   Pensées, #894. |
Ben Finney