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Explore Python development by working with and disseminating computer code in a much faster way

Explore Python development by working with and disseminating computer code in a much faster way

Vote: (17 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: PyCharm Community Edition

Version: 2023.1.3

Works under: Windows

Also available for Mac

Vote:

Program license

(17 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

PyCharm Community Edition

2023.1.3

Works under:

Also available for

Windows

Mac

Pros

  • Completely free to use and regularly updated
  • Some of the best debugging options around for Python devs

Cons

  • Not as many features as the pro edition

PyCharm Community Edition is a free and open source Integrated Development Environment designed specifically to accommodate the needs of Python developers of every stripe. It's a great tool for prototyping, and it's easy enough to be used by people first dipping their toes in the world of development but powerful enough to accommodate the needs of even the most experienced developers. The role of an IDE is to make your life easier, and PyCharm seems to understand this implicitly. They've worked in close collaboration with their community to create an environment that addresses the most common needs of their users, and the open source nature of the product means its always growing and expanding to suit the needs of the people who use it. This user friendly approach is reflected in its smart tutorials and tool tips that clue you in to helpful and well targeted advice for working with Python.

Python is one of the most well adopted and popular programming languages around, and that's due in large part to the simplicity of the language. Whereas many programming languages can be obtuse and hard to learn, Python is well regarded for the way that it effectively simulates human speech. The syntax is easy to understand, and the popularity of this language means that there's a range of libraries available that can sometimes seem nearly limitless. Of course, this can be a double edged sword. Figuring out the library that's most targeted to suit your needs can be difficult, and it can be just as tough to keep track of the various commands and libraries exported into any particular project. Helping you manage that is one of the biggest advantages that PyCharm offers. If you try to use statements or functions that aren't available through the libraries you have uploaded, PyCharm will automatically recognize them and guide you through the process of importing the appropriate library. That means that you can focus on coding using the syntax you understand rather than spend hours figuring out what you need and setting up you tool kit from the start.

Of course, this isn't all that PyCharm offers. While it's not quite as robust as the professional edition, all the basics are here. The autocomplete feature is particularly smart, and that makes it a breeze to write complex code without having to worry about unnecessary mistakes you'll have to hunt down later. It also uses a very effective and speedy debugger that's built fundamentally with Python in mind. That can take a lot of labor out of one of the most hassling parts of development. In addition to offering a full suite of IDE features for Python, it also supports compatibility with Javascript and HTML, a much needed feature when you're looking at putting together multi-discipline projects, particularly those with heavy web components.

Pros

  • Completely free to use and regularly updated
  • Some of the best debugging options around for Python devs

Cons

  • Not as many features as the pro edition