RE: [Pythoncard-users] an IDLE clone (PythonCard IDE, wxIDLE...)

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephen M. Gava [mailto:elg...@us...]
Sent: Sunday, January 20, 2002 5:13 PM
To: Kevin Altis
Subject: Re: FW: [Pythoncard-users] an IDLE clone (PythonCard IDE,
wxIDLE...)


Kevin Altis wrote:
> Stephen,
> I'm not currently on the idle-dev list. I wanted to forward this email to
> you since you appear to be the most active person when I browsed the
> archives. If an IDLE clone is started, anyone involved would of course get
> on the idle-dev mailing list, though the clone would be written in
wxPython
> or wxPython/PythonCard not tkinter. If you have any thoughts I would
> appreciate the feedback.

Hi Kevin,
another python ide project huh? Man, last time I searched at sourceforge
and freshmeat I found dozens and dozens of them already in progress or
just starting up, the more the merrier I guess!

As for idle itself, as you are probably aware it is undergoing a lot of
development at the moment via the idlefork project
( http://idlefork.sourceforge.net/ )
; a new configuration system with a gui based user configuration
interface is nearing completion, after which execution of code from
within idle in a separate process will be re-implemented in a more
general way, which hopefully gets all the debugging features working
again. When these new features have been fully tested Guido's plan is
that they (along with many other bug-fixes and new features already
implemented) will be rolled into python idle as the next "all singing
and dancing" version of idle (which will hopefully be ready for release
with python 2.3).

If you are interested in the future of idle have a look at the "Mission
Statement" on the idlefork website
( http://idlefork.sourceforge.net/mission.html )
where you'll find a precis of a lot of discussion about idle which took
place on idle-dev in June/July last year, and which resulted in a lot of
decisions about idle's future, including the decision that idle will
continue with a tkinter gui. Tkinter's wide platform support is the main
factor mentionned there, but it's low reliance on external libraries is
also a major factor here.

My thoughts on the production of a wxPython/PythonCard based idle
'clone', are that if you have a group of folks inspired to do it, by all
means go ahead and do it! Developer and user choice are both good
things. If you do start a project along these lines though, by all means
call it "IDLE inspired" or "IDLE like" if that is your aim, but my
personal feeling would be please don't call it wxIDLE or "new IDLE" or
anything like that, there would just be too many IDLE's. We already have
IDLE, and it's official developmental branch IDLEfork, that's enough
IDLE's! 8^)

>
> Is there an updated version of the documentation available? The version at
>   http://www.python.org/idle/doc/
> say 0.5 and the version of IDLE I have (Python 2.1.1) is version 0.8

Production of a new set of documentation for idle is one of the things
on the list for the idlefork project. Any volunteers? *I hear echoes*

Anyway, if you have any other questions for me, please ask, and, by the
way, if you know anyone who would be interested in working on idlefork
itself (coding, testing, or documentation) please let me know!! ;-)

Best wishes,
Stephen.
--
Stephen M. Gava  <elg...@us...>
IDLEfork ( http://idlefork.sourceforge.net )  " just like IDLE, only crunchy
"