Can you use Visual Studio 2008 IDE to code in Python?
I have a friend whom I am trying to teach programming. He comes from a very simple PHP background, and for some reason ANTI C #, I think because some of his PHP circles condemn anything that comes from Microsoft.
Anyway, I told him that it is possible to use Ruby or Python with the VS2008 IDE because I read somewhere that it is possible.
But I was wondering. Is it really practical, can you do EVERYTHING with Python in VS2008, what you can do with C # or VB.net.
I think I am not starting a discussion ... I want to know if you are a developer using VS IDE with a language other than VB.net or C # then please leave an answer with your experience.
If you are (like me) or a VB.net or C # developer, don't post speculative or subjective answers. This is a serious question and I don't want it to be closed as subjective ....
Many thanks.
Update
So far, we've established that IronPython is the right tool for the job.
Now, how practical is this really?
Mono, for example, runs C # code on Linux, but ... ever tried to use it? Not really practical, needs a lot of code refactoring, no support for .net v3.5, etc.
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If you want to use Python along with the .NET Common Language Runtime, then you want:
- Python.NET (vanilla Python extension that adds .NET support)
- IronPython (reimplementing Python as a .NET language)
- Boo (Python-like language that will compile with C # -equivalent MSIL code)
Using Python in Visual Studio without using the CLR seems like a waste to me. Eclipse with PyDev would be a much better choice.
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I found it odd that your friend is against C #, but ok with Visual Studio. After all, the open source development environment for .NET is called SharpDevelop. The C # language is the standard .. NET is free (like beer) and there is an open source implementation of this platform called Mono. The only "non-free" thing is Visual Studio (although there are "Express" versions that are free, like beer).
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I don't know why you would want to - maybe something like IronPython Studio would be a happy environment. But as I said, I don't know why you would want to use Visual Studio for Python development when there are much better options available.
Always choose the right tool for the right job - just because you can drive the nail with the end piece of your cordless drill doesn't mean you should. Visual Studio was not designed for Python development and, as such, will not be an ideal environment for Python development. Use the list I linked to choose a more suitable editor from that list.
As a side note, I'm wondering why your PHP friend refuses to use C # (a free, standardized language) but ok with Visual Studio (a costly closed source IDE).
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This has been discussed before in this thread. I personally prefer eclipse and pyDev.
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First, the question seems to be whether python (or various implementations) are "powerful" like C #. I'm not really sure what to understand, but in my experience of both languages it will be easier and faster to write this piece of code in python than in C #. C # is faster than cpython (although if speed is required the pythco python module is worth a look).
And I would object to your firing Mono. Mono works great on Linux if you write an application for it from scratch. This doesn't really mean that there is a level of compatibility between Windows and Linux (see Wine!), And if you treat it like that, you will be disappointed.
It seems to me that you are taking the wrong approach. If you want to convince him that not everything that Microsoft is evil, and he adamant that he doesn't learn C #, make him learn Python (or Ruby, or LUA or whatever) until he becomes competent. and then introduce him to C # and get him to make his own opinion - I'm fair in favor of open source and far from rabid Microsoft advocates, but I tried C # and found I really liked it.
I think getting him to use python and visual studio in a sub-optimal way would turn him against both of them - far from the desired goal!
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