When I first tried to learn Python, configuring an editor stopped me before I had written much code. I followed instructions without understanding what the settings meant, and when the setup failed I did not know how to diagnose it. That experience shaped my advice: begin with an environment you can run reliably, then add tools when they solve a problem you understand.
This revises my 2021 Chinese article. A Chinese version follows below.
Starting with IDLE is reasonable
IDLE provides an editor and an interactive Python shell. It also has completion, indentation support, and a debugger; it is itself a small integrated development environment. It is inaccurate to describe it as a tool without these features, or to say that using it necessarily produces poor programming habits. See the official IDLE documentation.
If IDLE is available in your Python installation, a useful first task is to create a file, write a short program, save it, and run it with Run Module. Learn the difference between entering an expression at the interactive prompt and executing a saved .py file.
name = input("What is your name? ")
print(f"Hello, {name}.")Then change the program and predict the output before running it. If it fails, read the traceback and identify the line that caused the error. These habits matter more than the editor's brand.
Learn the execution model gradually
Once saved files are familiar, run the same file from a terminal. On many macOS and Linux installations the command is python3 hello.py; on Windows installations with the Python launcher, py hello.py works. The available command depends on how Python was installed. Both ask an interpreter to execute the file; the terminal is not the Python interpreter.
As a project grows, learn which interpreter it uses, where its dependencies are installed, and how a virtual environment keeps project packages separate. The Python tutorial on virtual environments is a useful next step when third-party packages become necessary.
Use assistance deliberately
Completion, formatting, linting, and debugging can help a beginner as well as an experienced programmer. They do not inherently prevent understanding. A useful check is whether you can explain a suggested change, modify the code yourself, and test a case the example did not show.
Move to a more extensive editor setup when you need its project navigation, testing, environment management, or debugging features. There is no mandatory graduation date from IDLE, and a more elaborate setup is not evidence of greater understanding.
In 2021 I used Atom and experimented with its Python packages. That is part of my learning history, not a current installation recommendation: Atom was retired in December 2022. The valuable part of that experience was learning how an editor, interpreter, shell, and project fit together.
中文版
我小时候自学 Python 时，曾经在配置编辑器环境这一步卡住。那时只会照着教程操作，不理解每个设置的作用，出错后也不知道如何排查。所以我的建议是：先用一个能够稳定运行程序的环境开始，再逐步学习工具背后的原理。
IDLE 本身就是一个小型集成开发环境，包含编辑器、交互式 shell、补全和调试功能。它不是“没有辅助功能的简陋工具”，长期使用也不会必然导致坏习惯。初学时，可以先练习创建 .py 文件、保存、运行，并区分交互式输入和执行整个文件。
比编辑器选择更重要的是学习习惯：运行前预测结果，出错后读 traceback，找到对应代码行，再尝试解释并修正。补全、格式化和调试工具可以使用，但应理解它们给出的结果，而不是只接受提示。
熟悉文件后，再学习从终端运行程序、识别所用的 Python 解释器，以及在需要第三方包时使用虚拟环境。项目需要更强的导航、测试或调试功能时，再增加相应工具，不必为了“进阶”而强行更换编辑器。
我在 2021 年使用过 Atom 和一些 Python 插件，这属于个人经历。Atom 已于 2022 年停止维护，不宜把当年的插件列表继续当作新手安装建议。真正值得保留的是对编辑器、解释器、shell 和项目之间关系的理解。