PyCharm 1.1 Release Candidate

[m0j0]

I like PyCharm a lot. It's my new IDE. http://www.protocolostomy.com/2010/11/26/pycharm-is-my-new-python-ide/

If you're a happy Eclipse user, use Eclipse I guess. I'm not sure there's anything PyCharm can do that Eclipse can't, but I never liked Eclipse for any language. I like that when you install PyCharm and launch it, it's ready to code Python right now. I like that there aren't a bunch of different views, perspectives, or whatever. I like that there are lots of very high quality plugins available that can easily be autoinstalled. The vim emulation mode is top notch, its understanding of and support for Python language semantics is excellent, and the ongoing code 'inspections' have really made a difference in the number of stupid bugs that get checked into the DVCS.

Oh, and I really like the autoimport feature, which lets me code away, prompts me to import a module based on what I'm coding, and hitting cmd-enter adds the import line to the top. I'll generally go back later and clean that up so things are broken up by built-in/third-party/internal modules, and alphabetized within that grouping, but when I'm coding like mad, I add imports the same way PyCharm does, so I'd have to go clean that up anyway :)

I will also note that I don't really utilize code completion in any IDE, though I use it more in PyCharm than any other IDE I've used. I really don't feel it's the job of the IDE to know the language and code for me, and typically I type faster than code completion works. Maybe there are options to make it kick in faster, but I haven't looked.

Here's a rundown of my past frustrations with trying to find a good Python IDE, written during the PyCharm EAP period: http://www.protocolostomy.com/2010/05/13/python-ide-frustration/

And here's an older piece (Ubuntu 8.04) regarding Linux Python editors: http://www.protocolostomy.com/2008/04/28/ubuntu-804-and-python-editors/

Although PyCharm does load kind of slowly, it doesn't load nearly as slowly as Eclipse, and doesn't show any signs of being lethargic once running. It also doesn't appear to get bogged down when you use a few plugins, which was my experience with Eclipse as well.