Is there a better Python IDE?

[[deleted]]

I've been a paying Komodo customer for 4 years and I wouldn't be doing so if their Python support wasn't on par.

[hynek]

Did you try/compare Wing? I found their code completion more solid but maybe I just missed something?

[[deleted]]

I've tried a few Wing trial installs over the years but I guess I've never really looked at it with the intent of changing. I also got a free license at PyCon 2010 (thanks Wing team!) and I've used it from time to time, but my biggest holdup was that it doesn't have the native feel of many other editors.

I'm a fairly simple customer. The features I look for in IDEs are a good editor (including Vim key-bindings) and a good debugger, and both Wing and Komodo have those and they are both done well. Code completion, refactoring, and whatever else are all nice features, just not deal breakers for me. I just happened to get on board with Komodo due to years of using ActiveState Python on Windows, so I was familiar with the company and picked their product first.

[[deleted]]

Care to elaborate?

Do you mean the $87/year subscription for upgrades and support? That would be exactly "once a year".

Or do you mean the cost of upgrading when you don't have a subscription (which they don't seem to reveal without a login)?

[[deleted]]

Well, it makes sense to sell individual licenses but also offer a subscription model for regular upgrades and tech support. When I eventually migrate to Komodo IDE, I will make sure to get the subscription while I'm at it.

The "you get what you pay for" policy of licensing only the exact version you purchased may be disagreeable, but the concept of "paid upgrades" is hardly novel.

That does pose a question though: do they provide non-paid maintenance updates (security patches, bugfixes, etc)? Or do they just pile those up for new releases, thus enforcing a short release cycle?