Good Editor?

[Alex Martelli]

"fjs" <fjs6 at usa.net> wrote in message news:3ab9a32b$1_1 at news2.one.net...
> Can someone recomend a good editor to write python in?  Im just getting
> started learning python and dont know which ones support python.

I mostly use VIM (www.vim.org), which among other things
supports the use of Python as a macro-language.  However,
VIM is a development of vi -- some of us love its modal
basic operations (it minimizes fingermovement wrt any
alternative -- highly ergonomic), some other detest it
(I think it's because they try to grasp it with their
brains rather than just let their _fingers_ learn it).

A good alternative is provided by integrated development
systems for Python, such as IDLE, which comes with the
standard Python distribution, and others which are either
platform-specific or cost some money.

Back to general-purpose editors, Emacs lovers find their
favourite perfectly good for Pythoning (after all, if it's
good for reading mail and news, managing files, brewing
coffee and bringing peace to the Middle East, how can it
be bad for editing whatever kind of files, right?).  Most
of my colleagues currently seem to swear by 'UltraEdit',
but I haven't tried it myself, nor do I know how well it
supports Python specifically.


Alex