[Edu-sig] End of 2010... Happy \N

[kirby urner]

>
> Suggestions for Features (SFFs -- not as prestigious or important as PEPs
> but sometimes the genetic precursor of a PEP).

> Save Session in IDLE or other PyShell:

Hmmm, that didn't format so well for the edu-sig archive, sorry 'bout that.

For a host of reasons, having a source code version at one's
fingertips would be more problematic than a generic "state saver" that
lets you hibernate or snapshot a session.  However, if it came with
the text console, so you could scroll back.... (VFP has this, one of
my other shell / chat windows).

I forget which shell lets you automatically shift interactively
defined functions and classes to a corresponding program editor, with
a simple click.  In IDLE it's more a cut and paste operation, and then
you need to trim out the >>>.

A highlight of 2010 for me was Steve Holden trashing IDLE and saying
what could leave Python feeling too retro is the lack of a really
state-of-the-art shell and/or interactive front end to the interpreter
("chat window, talk to the python").  We did some comparing with the
Eclipse implementation (PyDev) which I've been using more in 2010.
But I miss my Akbar font.

PyShell and PyCrust... worthy efforts, making wxPython the basis /
platform.  PythonCard...  thinks to draw inspiration from, as ahead of
their time?  Will the better Python IDE emerge?  Wing?  Komodo?

A lot of people aren't shell freaks and so don't care that much.  You
use a coding language to write scripts, not to interact, not too "save
state" from interactive sessions.  These are different mindsets in
some way, with many of us going back and forth depending on the task.
Lets remember though, many newcomers to Python stick around because of
the interactivity.  That's why I think Steve was on target.

IDLE was totally state of the art in its day, a cross-platform GUI
widget library backing it up, the Tk library with Tkinter.  Very
innovative.  Worth every penny.

Kirby