If you're learning something, about the only thing you really want is syntax highlighting. Go beyond that and you run the risk of "throwing out the baby with the bathwater."
-40hz
That would be more like throwing
into the tub: the baby, the bathwater, some soap, some rubber duckies, a teddy bear and a LEGO set
That said, I disagree - just a little. Syntax highlighting is very helpful for spotting syntax errors, which abound when you begin learning a language. But for me, the lack of IDE (or using a weak IDE) becomes a showstopper for another reason: no code insight. For me, the hardest thing is figuring out what I can do with the language, i.e. the capabilities of the library.
A few times I've tried learning Python by attempting to write what should normally be much simpler/faster to do in Python than in Delphi. Of course, while I knew exactly how to do it in Delphi, but in Pyton I had no idea where to begin. Every time, with only one exception, I went back to Delphi, having to write more glue code and create throw-away classes, but I worked fast because I already knew how to do it. In Python, without an IDE capable of code insight, searching in the documentation ended up taking enough time to become a tedium.
If I can type objectinstance - dot - Ctrl+Space and have a list of methods and their signatures, I'm happy, and I can try things out in no time and actually get results. Without it, a new language appears impenetrable.
That, and I don't think I'd ever attempt to create a GUI in a scripting language by typing... control such-and-such, top=10, left=5, width=100, etc, for dozens and dozens of controls. It just doesn't seem to make sense, as long as you have an option of using a visual designer.
