Best free Python IDE for me
Spoiler: I have decided on Spyder, installed via the Anaconda platform.
I regularly do some Python hobby projects next to my work. In general, they involve some kind of unconventional data processing or data generation. For example, writing a Python library that can calculate musical scales and chords. Or a library that can be fed timeseries which are then automatically analysed without any prior domain knowledge.
I decided I wanted to pick a good IDE for this. In this article I will share my findings. I am looking for an environment that helps me load packages as well, so that I do not need explicit use of PIP and such. Also, I’d like a user interface that supports different kinds of Python programs: libraries / scripts / data science …. It should also be free, and work on Mac and Windows.
Compiling the list
First, I’ll compile a list of feasible candidates. For that, I have simply googled a few top lists for Python IDEs. They are: 10 Best Python IDE & Code Editors in 2021 [Updated] (hackr.io), Best IDE for Python in 2021 | TechRadar, 10 BEST Python IDE | Python Editors for Windows, Linux & Mac (guru99.com), 9 Best Python IDEs and Code Editors (programiz.com)
The top-list I have compiled is:
- PyDev — https://www.eclipse.org/; http://pydev.org/ -> originally a Java environment.
- Visual Studio Code — https://code.visualstudio.com , Microsofts take on an Eclipse-like environment.
- Idle — https://docs.python.org/3/library/idle.html, Pythons own env.
- eric — https://eric-ide.python-projects.org/ a feature-rich, rather busy GUI thing but raved because of all its features, including support for other languages too
- Spyder — Home — Spyder IDE (spyder-ide.org), for scientific purposes
- Jupyter Notebook — Literate programming / scripting, for scientific purposes (data anaysis).
So, then… What to choose. From Android App development, I am already familiar with Eclipse. I expect a similar experience with PyDev in Eclipse. That was “ok”, but hardware intense, and somethings felt a bit “gui over something that’s actually command line”. So not going for that one.
Visual Studio Code is perfectly adequate. I have used it for Windows App development and for Python. I don’t know any drawbacks, except that I already know it and I’m looking for something new.
Jupyter Notebook is perfect when you see programming as the sequential execution of steps. But that’s not how more dynamic programs work, so it’s not ideal for every situation.
Idle, eric & Spyder are left.
Comparing Idle, eric & Spyder
Next phase: install Idle, eric & Spyder and try the same Python project in all three!
Idle: installing it is… non-existent. The idle link is just a rude drop into a documentation wiki. When going to the actual code, there is a readme that does not explain how to install this. My assumtion is that some prior knowledge is needed about magical spells, like “pip install Idle” or something. I could, for the sake of the investigation, try to google how to install it, but actually I don’t want an environment where I have to think about the environment. (I want the Mac, not the Linux of IDEs :-) )
eric: installing it is… downloading a zipped archive containing python installation files. So it requires me to run Python from the command line. That’s not an IDE with a GUI, that’s again my Linux allergy. This is of course much easier, but still it is not how you install things on a computer. At least, not how I want to install stuff on my computer.
So, actually, only Spyder is left. I still have to test drive it, otherwise I’ll install Visual Studio Code. Anyway, here it goes:
Home — Spyder IDE (spyder-ide.org) offers a real .dmg file for my Mac, and it it also distributed as part of the Anaconda package. I will be using the Anaconda distribution. Anaconda | Get Started.
When I started it, it requested I do some command-line things after all.
I decided that appearantly the command line is unavoidable if you want to have a GUI for Python, so I typed in the magical spells and now I have Spyder 5.0.3.
Aaand… it works. Fast and with no intellectual effort required!
So the winner is… Spyder!
However… I have now seen Orange 3 in Anaconda. That might be a perfect tool for a data pipeline to explore all kinds of data science things. But that will be another article.
