My quest for a Python IDE on Mac seems to be over

I’ve been struggling to find a IDE to work with Python code on the Mac. I really really really wanted XCode and PyObjC to work, but there just isn’t enough of the goodies (code completion, etc.) with that combo to make me happy. I know, real programmers don’t need the extras, but I like using them to help me be more productive (especially when I’ve got limited time to code/play).

The other day I thought about Eclipse. I use Eclipse at work for Java development, and I’ve got to say I really like it. I decided to see if a)Eclipse runs on the Mac without looking like ass, and b)To see if there was a Python plugin that would allow Eclipse to recognize/work with Python code.

The answer to question a is: Yes, Eclipse runs on the Mac and so far (after an hour playing with it) it looks nice and runs pretty well.

The answer to question b is: Yes!Pydev brings a lot of the Java-mega-editor-goodness of Eclipse to the world of Python. It still needs a little bit of work, but so far it is looking pretty good!

Just as a bit of history (in case anyone cares) the editors I’ve tried to do Python development with on the Mac are: TextWrangler, XCode, XEmacs, and vi. These editors are all ok, most can color code the source with no problem, but none of them really brought everything I was looking for to the table. Its probably a moot point to even mention it though, I’m sure that in 6 months they will all have advanced in some way (like the usually do).

For now, it looks like Eclipse is my official IDE. Which makes me kinda sad, XEmacs isn’t moving forward with me like I thought it would. *sigh* Such is life I suppose.