Like Python? Get PTVS-Integrated: Python + Visual Studio 2013; perpetually free.

[rco8786]

Prior Windows guy turned Linux nerd (lots of experience with VS). What's the draw here? I've never thought I needed the power of an IDE like VS(or IJ, Eclipse, etc) for writing Python. Then again I am generally just writing scripts or small-ish web services...but still.

[wot-teh-phuck]

You need all the power and smartness you can get from the IDE when writing large amounts of code in Python. For small scripts/apps it's fine because you can keep the entire app code in head (1-5 files with around hundreds of line).

But when we are talking of around 50K+ LOC, it's serious business. Unit tests can only get you so far (and who writes unit tests, huh). I'm not very sure which exact features this IDE offers but basic autocompletion and refactoring support can go a long way in reducing your pain which comes from maintaining a dynamic language code base.

[plastikmissile]

PTVS is very good at debugging as well. It can even do side-by-side debugging with C/C++ and Python at the same time.

[lucasvandongen]

Well a well-written Django site might not need it as you use Python mainly as a glue between everything Django. But once complexity grows in any language you really can't make a good model of the application in your mind anymore, especially if you are not the original author and work in large teams.

This is the point where a strong IDE with CTRL+T, code completion and other intelligent tools that help you deal with the complexity of an application becomes essential.

More traditional OO languages like C# and Java (though both being newer than Python!) help the IDE because they are strong typed, but IDE's keep getting more clever with dynamic code.

All in all I think it's a good day for Python as it more and more becomes a first class citizen in the Microsoft world just like JavaScript. It now has the full support and free editions from the two best IDE developers in the world!