VIM or Emacs for python programming?

<bennym> · 2006-09-12 08:04:28

Hi!
I began to program with python half a year ago and now I am looking for a better editor than gedit. I' ve heard a lot about emacs and vi.
What is the better editor for python? I don't know if I should use Xemacs or the gnu emacs.
Any suggestions what to choose?

Thank you
benny

allucid · 2006-09-12 08:36:19

They are very different editors so it is best to take a look at both and decide which is right for you.

Most people use gnu emacs over xemacs.

Mr Green · 2006-09-12 09:12:24

pallavi

Dusty · 2006-09-12 14:00:22

Just to summarize what's happened on this board before, more Arch users use vim than e-macs, but both will suggest either. Personally, as a python programmer myself, I hate both lisp (used to configure emacs) and vim configuration syntax. I used jEdit for a long time, its nice and configurable, same as both vim and emacs, but its configured in Java... which I'm also not fond of anymore.

Decent editors that are configured in Python are hard to come by so I wrote my own -- thanks Mr Green for the plug. However, I don't really consider it a good editor yet. You might look at eric3, pype, or dr python.

Now, if you really have decided to go traditional and choose one of vim and emacs, all I can say is when I was making the decision, I used them both for about three months each, vim first and then emacs. I haven't used emacs since.

Editors have personalities. You have to choose the one that suits you and only you. No matter which one you choose, there are going to be people that hate you for it.

Sound advice for choosing a mate too. :-S

Dusty

phrakture · 2006-09-12 14:39:10

go go go!

funktion · 2006-09-12 15:39:30

I personally love VIM for any type of programming/text editing. VIM has a bit of a steep learning curve, but if you stick it out it is really nice!

Also you could check out EasyEclipse Python Distro.

toxic · 2006-09-12 18:19:15

Personally I wouldn't say that neither emacs or vim is better than gedit when it comes to programming.

Certainly, I like programming small scripts like bash or edit configuration files in vim, and for that it's great. Emacs on the other hand is a nice editor, but being a former Windows user, those shortcut commands are killing me.

I think you're looking for a program suite like eclipse, or possible jedit (which is mostly for java, but has support for many other languages).

phrakture · 2006-09-12 18:23:05

toxic wrote:

Personally I wouldn't say that neither emacs or vim is better than gedit when it comes to programming.

Then you're not using either of them (emacs or vim) properly. gedit is made to edit text. emacs/vim focus on editing source code....

can gedit do this? (NOTE, this is an exaggerated screenshot, to illustrate the point that vim/emacs are more than editing text)
[URL=http://img133.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ss20060427211010dn3.png] ss20060427211010dn3.th.png [/URL]

codemac · 2006-09-12 19:03:05

Vim o/

arooaroo · 2006-09-12 19:28:06

phrakture wrote:

Then you're not using either of them (emacs or vim) properly. gedit is made to edit text. emacs/vim focus on editing source code....

+1

One of my likes with Vim (and it applies to Emacs too) is the ease at which I can navigate around the file. There's also the ease at manipulating blocks of code (like formating, indent, yanking, etc).

I made a little reference sheet for vim which newbies may find interesting.

toxic · 2006-09-12 20:25:37

phrakture, that may well be so. My point was concerning some larget projects, in which I consider neither Vim nor Gedit to be an effective editor. Gedit in my opinion is more effective when it comes to handling many classes/resources using all the standard desktop tools - including the ever so effective mouse (which I consider to be a really valuable tool when I must sync my mind against dozen of files).
It's just my opinion that I personally find it easier to develope larger i.e. java projects with Gedit, and minor projects with the ever so excellent Vim .

By the way, what font is that you're using in the screenshot ? I found that neither artwiz or terminus is the perfect vim font

elasticdog · 2006-09-12 20:27:36

phrakture wrote:

toxic wrote:
Personally I wouldn't say that neither emacs or vim is better than gedit when it comes to programming.
Then you're not using either of them (emacs or vim) properly. gedit is made to edit text. emacs/vim focus on editing source code....
can gedit do this? (NOTE, this is an exaggerated screenshot, to illustrate the point that vim/emacs are more than editing text)
[URL=http://img133.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ss20060427211010dn3.png][/URL]

Not to be off topic, but which file-browser plugin is that on the left side there phrak?

phrakture · 2006-09-12 22:10:57

The font is Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.

File manager is bufexplorer (pacman -S vim-bufexplorer)

elasticdog · 2006-09-12 22:36:02

Doh...I could have read that on the screenshot! :oops: Thanks...

rab · 2006-09-12 23:31:52

@phrakture, post your .Xdefaults please , i love those colors

Cirdan · 2006-09-13 02:06:07

elasticdog wrote:

phrakture wrote:
toxic wrote:
Personally I wouldn't say that neither emacs or vim is better than gedit when it comes to programming.
Then you're not using either of them (emacs or vim) properly. gedit is made to edit text. emacs/vim focus on editing source code....
can gedit do this? (NOTE, this is an exaggerated screenshot, to illustrate the point that vim/emacs are more than editing text)
[URL=http://img133.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ss20060427211010dn3.png][/URL]
Not to be off topic, but which file-browser plugin is that on the left side there phrak?

I'd like to know also. I like to use vim, mostly becuase I'm a CLI junkie.

nogoma · 2006-09-13 02:16:14

Cirdan wrote:

I'd like to know also. I like to use vim, mostly becuase I'm a CLI junkie.

I believe he's using bufexplorer.vim. phrak posted all the vim plugins he uses here, there are quite a few really excellent ones in there, so check them out!

Eliatamby · 2006-09-13 09:04:03

I use vim, have never even opened emac, but one thing I'll say is that although the learning curve is pretty steep (i'm at the tip of the iceberg I'm sure), once you start learning some of the commands and have a good vimrc file, you definitely miss it's functionality when using something like gedit, etc. The d,y,and p command variations especially. When ever I press 'd10 ENTER' in kate or gedit, i realise how much I'm missing vim. Vimtutor is your friend initiallly

However some of this functionality does not mean that much if you're not a keyboard junky. I try to use my mouse as little as possible, which is why gedit etc. are annoying to me. If you are a mouse-inclined person, vim (and I'm assuming) emacs mean a bit of a usage paradigm shift

liem · 2006-09-13 11:03:50

I like the vi style, and I like small, simple and powerful apps. I use vim, to bad it isn't small nor simple.

It's 2922 loc Makefile scares me. =P

majikstreet · 2006-09-13 20:27:14

emacs has a pretty big learning curve.. I'm suprised no one has said anything about the wacky key combos you have to do..

anyway, people can get pretty religious about their text editor.

allucid · 2006-09-13 22:09:32

majikstreet wrote:

emacs has a pretty big learning curve.. I'm suprised no one has said anything about the wacky key combos you have to do..
anyway, people can get pretty religious about their text editor.

VIM and emacs are both a bit 'wacky' in the key department. Emacs is a bit less wacky (IMO) since it's basic keystrokes are supported in many applications (firefox, bash, GTK).

And I rebind a lot of the long key combos.

RevertTS · 2006-09-13 22:11:31

I use vim. I've always meant to try out emacs, but I've never completely gotten over the size of it (I much prefer specialized programs good at specific things to large programs that attempt to do everything), plus, after awhile of using it, vim just gets to be second nature.

fluke · 2006-09-14 06:19:45

eclipse with pydev plugin is a good way.

iphitus · 2006-09-14 06:22:01

notepad

pacman -S wine and run 'notepad' - it's included.

Mr Green · 2006-09-14 06:53:34

pallavi for python....

Arch Linux

#1 2006-09-12 08:04:28

VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#2 2006-09-12 08:36:19

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#3 2006-09-12 09:12:24

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#4 2006-09-12 14:00:22

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#5 2006-09-12 14:39:10

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#6 2006-09-12 15:39:30

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#7 2006-09-12 18:19:15

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#8 2006-09-12 18:23:05

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#9 2006-09-12 19:03:05

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#10 2006-09-12 19:28:06

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#11 2006-09-12 20:25:37

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#12 2006-09-12 20:27:36

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#13 2006-09-12 22:10:57

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#14 2006-09-12 22:36:02

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#15 2006-09-12 23:31:52

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#16 2006-09-13 02:06:07

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#17 2006-09-13 02:16:14

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#18 2006-09-13 09:04:03

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#19 2006-09-13 11:03:50

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#20 2006-09-13 20:27:14

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#21 2006-09-13 22:09:32

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#22 2006-09-13 22:11:31

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#23 2006-09-14 06:19:45

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#24 2006-09-14 06:22:01

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

#25 2006-09-14 06:53:34

Re: VIM or Emacs for python programming?

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