11 Jul

I have a new favorite Python IDE, and it's the Wingware IDE. That's right folks, the Eclipse IDE (with PyDev) does an admirable job, as well as The Eric Python IDE, but neither are as impressive as Wingware. From this point forward, I dumping the other IDEs and going 100% with Wingware.

Why Wingware?
There are many reasons to like Wingware over other Python IDEs. Here are a few of my favorite features:

  • Source Assistant - This not only describes the current method, module, or variable but also shows you all the expected parameters, shows the __doc__ string, and in many cases links to the official website for the library method (for example, the GTK methods).

  • Great Code Completion - The code completion feels much more complete (and faster loading) than other IDEs. For example, working with the GTK library was a breeze, where as I have struggled using Eclipse... In most other Python IDEs they support limited code completion, but without showing the list of expected parameters. That sucks when you are working with an unknown library. Not a problem anymore!

  • Easy Debugger - The debugger is very similar to Visual Studio (which I have used for years). I found the debugger much easier to step into code, analize the locals and stack data, and they even have a cool tool called a "Debug Probe", which is an immediate window that lets you interact with the current stack data (and includes code completion).

  • Perforce Support - I am a huge Perforce (source control software) fan. Any product that integrates with Perforce sounds like my kind of product. Seriously, I will be using Perforce to manage the source code in my video editor project.

  • Wingware Supports Open-Source - Most supprising, the Wingware company fully supports non-commercial open-source projects, and if you meet their requirements (which I did), they will issue a FREE license. Thanks guys!