Reputation: 83
Emacs- 24.5
Python-3.4
I am only starting out in python with Emacs and reading quite a lot on it, particularly this site http://www.jesshamrick.com/2012/09/18/emacs-as-a-python-ide/. I was wondering if anyone could help me out with a couple of things:
1) What's a Python Interpreter ? Is IPython a good choice?
2) What's a Python mode? and which should I choose between "python.el" , " python-mode.el", "Emacs for Python", "Elpy" or "Ropemacs"?
Upvotes: 2
Views: 478
Reputation: 4804
With Emacs you may edit and run Python code, which makes it interesting. Emacs comes with a lot of tools making edits faster with any language.
Python Interpreter means the Python process itself. If you send "print(1+2)" to the interpreter, you will receive "3". Open file with ending ".py". See menu in head of that file-buffer for basic commands to try.
IPython is great but somehow orthogonal with Emacs. Start with plain Python. Later on you may address even IPython Notebook from Emacs.
Emacs is organised in modes WRT to specific languages. Python mode provides some tools. You may edit Python code also without a Python mode loaded, but it's less comfortable.
python.el provides the Python mode shippend with Emacs. For the beginning stay with python.el.
Being a maintainer of python-mode.el: it delivers some finer grained edit commands, an edit-mode for the Python-shell etc.
"Emacs for Python" is an IDE suitable for beginners.
"Elpy" provides Auto-completion
"Ropemacs" is a tool to address Python rope-library for auto-completion and analysis - not needed for the beginning.
Upvotes: 2