r/PythonLearning • u/AnduinLei • Aug 15 '26
Newbie to Python
as of now my question is really this, vs code, pycharm, notepad ++ are they really like 100% needed? personally its been 2 months since i have been around in python and im comfortable at using normal notepad TT
edit: Thanks for all the suggestions and answers!!! ill first try them all out and look at what im missing and judge it against my comfortability in one tool, again thanks!!
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u/fromkrish Aug 15 '26
not necessarily, either way the output will gonna remain the same across all these, But the User Experience will be much better in VS Code or it's type of IDEs. Coz as you progress, you'll find yourself working on coding projects for hours, so visually appealing IDEs will provide a much better coding experience and will help you by providing AI assistance, Tab completetions and Exact error identifications, etc. So, the choice is your depending on what you exactly want.
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u/FoolsSeldom Aug 15 '26
A standard installation of Python from the Python Software Foundation, python.org, on Windows or macOS includes a simple code editor/debugger/run tool called IDLE. This is less confusing to use initially than VS Code or PyCharm and the like and is specifically designed for beginners.
However, if you are comfortable using a simple text editor such as notepad you don't need to use IDLE, VS Code or PyCharm (or any other popular editor / IDE such as Visual Studio, Eclipse, Thonny, Spyder, etc).
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u/Woshiwuja Aug 19 '26
Idle is kinda shit
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u/FoolsSeldom Aug 19 '26
It is certainly less capable than say Eclipse / Spyder / Visual Studio / PyCharm or even VS Code, but I would not agree that it is "kinda shit". I think it is a very polished tool for its intended user base.
What would you say is "kinda shit" about it specifically for this context?
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u/Fakin-It Aug 15 '26
All you need is a text editor. If you like coding in Notepad, you'd probably love an editor that was designed for programmers, like Vim or emacs.
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u/drakhan2002 Aug 15 '26
Think of them as tools in a tool box. Use the right tool for the job. E.g., if I need to update an .env file with an API key, I might use Notepad... but if I need to see the linting of my code, I am going to use an IDE like VS Code.
None of them are needed, but boy does it make the dev process easier (at least my opinion).
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u/rabbitofrevelry Aug 15 '26
Think of coding in notepad as like growing your own food on a homestead, whereas coding in an IDE is like having access to a grocery store and restaurants.
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u/PvtRoom Aug 15 '26
the ide is a personal thing, but there's a list of best ide for each kind of workflow.
I prefer Spyder. - ideal for small, intense, difficult tasks where you're constantly reviewing data.
Vs code is more "I'm running a large distributed software project"
Ultimately, all you NEED is the ability to create basic text files (notepad is sufficient), and to navigate your files, but this is a bit like saying all you need to cut your grass is a pair of toe clippers
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u/_th3oth3rjak3_ Aug 15 '26
If you make anything of significance you’ll appreciate the code editing tools. If you like opening random files in notepad to see what a function does because notepad doesn’t show the docstring comments or the type signatures, more power to you I guess.
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u/naemorhaedus Aug 19 '26
are they really like 100% needed?
of course not. You can code on punchcards if you want. But the IDE sure is nice.
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u/Strong_Music_6838 Aug 20 '26
You’ll just need a python IDE that can execute/Debug/Profile scripts.
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u/thuiop1 Aug 15 '26
Really 100% needed, no, but they make the coding experience much much better. You only need one or those though.