We laid out several features of PyCharm in earlier sections, but it might be beneficial to repeat some of them here in comparison to other editors and IDEs in order to truly highlight the differences among them. We will start by looking at PyCharm and another powerful Python IDE (Spyder) side by side, since they generally set out to solve the same set of problems, and therefore, hold significant similarities.
In general, Spyder, like many other editors and IDEs, is a lightweight development environment. This results in less memory space, fewer system resources, and better speed in starting the software. PyCharm, on the other hand, comes as a fully supported IDE with a large set of functionalities, which will be heavier in storage and slower in execution.
In terms of support, Spyder has a simpler UI (which resembles that of MATLAB's). This can be beneficial for beginner programmers as well as people transitioning from MATLAB to Python. As for PyCharm, a comprehensive interface with different options for customization can be intimidating for unfamiliar programmers, but it can greatly improve productivity, as we have discussed and will learn first-hand in the second part of the book (Chapters 3, Customizing Interpreters and Virtual Environments, to Chapter 6, Seamless Testing, Debugging, and Profiling). However, since they are produced by the same company, users of IntelliJ IDEA specifically will also have no problem switching to PyCharm.
One previously notable way in which Spyder was superior to PyCharm was the support it offered for scientific computing, (Spyder short for Scientific Python Development Environment). The most commonly used support in Spyder is most likely the Variable explorer feature, where we have the option to inspect the value of the variables included in our program. The following screenshot demonstrates this Variable explorer feature of Spyder (please refer to this URL for more information: https://www.marsja.se/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Spyder_variable_explorer.png):
However, this superiority Spyder had over PyCharm was only applicable until recently. PyCharm has been making some substantial improvements to its own support for scientific computing, and now it has deservedly become a serious contender to be the best scientific programming tool in Python with SciView and its other functionalities. If there is a good time to start using PyCharm for your scientific projects, then it is now!
One major difference between PyCharm and any other editor/IDE is, of course, the extensive support for complex aspects of programming from PyCharm such as version control with Git, testing and debugging, profiling, and so on. Again, the general strategy when it comes to these tasks is to first understand the foundational idea of each task and know how to do it manually before using PyCharm to automate and streamline that process. At that point, after using these support features, you will be able to appreciate the time and effort you are saving with the help of PyCharm.
Let's now take a step back and look at other editors and IDEs as well. Compared to other popular IDEs such as Visual Studio Code with the PTVS plugin (short for Python Tools for Visual Studio) or Eclipse with the PyDev plugin, PyCharm is better supported in terms of debugging and testing, web development frameworks, Jupyter Notebook and Anaconda, the real-time analysis of code, and refactoring options.
Another factor that convinces Python programmers to choose PyCharm over Visual Studio Code is its support for emulating Vim, the famous Unix text editor. Specifically, PyCharm offers a plugin that simulates the complete experience of using Vim for hardcore users. For anyone who is looking to leverage PyCharm's powerful features but still wants to keep the old Vim key bindings and interface, they can find the optimal solution with PyCharm.
Overall, the discussed features offered by PyCharm help it stand out from its competitors. While it is true that PyCharm will take up more memory space and appear uninviting to new programmers of the Python community, once you have mastered the general fundamentals of Python programming and familiarized yourself with different best practices, PyCharm will boost your productivity to another level.
I hope at this point you are somewhat convinced that PyCharm is a good IDE for Python programming. However, before heading to the website to download it, another topic that we need to discuss is the edition of PyCharm we will be using.