Python editors and IDEs

[stabbin...@gmail.com]

At this time I've only considered non-commercial products.

I find DrPython is nicest balance between usability and bloat.
* Pros: cross-platform; good basic features; source browser;
extensible; fast and light.
* Cons: bug--some condition seems to make it forget how to parse
source and refresh the source browser; lacks advanced features.

NetBeans 6.8 for PHP, with the Python plugin.
* Pros: cross-platform; at 45 MB it's not as bloated as its Java etc.
cousins; good basic features; source browser; some advanced features.
* Cons: requires a NetBeans project to run a source file--very
annoying.

Pyscripter was just right for me. It would still be my favorite, but
for a blocking behavior I encountered when editing PyOpenGL source
where introspection features (e.g. tooltips on class instances) causes
very long hangs.
* Pros: light and fast; good basic features; source browser; some nice
advanced features.
* Cons: Windows-only; the evil introspection bug.

UliPad, SciTe, and Geany were okay. Each one had quirks that turned me
off.

The rest I looked at had dependencies I wasn't willing to wrestle with
(e.g. building QScintilla on Windows), or were too difficult to
install (e.g. the very nice looking Eric IDE).

There is a nice compact comparison of Python IDEs here:
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/81584

And another at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_integrated_development_environments#Python

Gumm