Thonny

Thonny is a beginner-friendly Python IDE (Integrated Development Environment) that allows users with little to no programming knowledge to start their first step on the road of mastering the Python programming language.

Built from the ground up by the developer Aivar Annamaa, this education tool is regarded as one of the best tools for teachers to provide their students with the streamlined and uncluttered programming environment for learning fundamentals of programming, slowly expanding their coding and problem-solving capabilities, and getting them ready to tackle more complicated programming tasks.

The cornerstone of this programming environment is Thonny’s editor that features a barren user interface that promotes the bare minimum of tools, and a wide variety of background services that can enable novices to accelerate their learning and optimize their workflow before they move to some other more IDE platform that caters the need of enthusiasts and professionals.

Thonny is distributed online as a standalone automated installer that will deploy on a PC everything that is needed for learning the basics of Python programming.

Even the automated installer is simplified to eliminate the chance of overwhelming novices during its short procedure of getting the app ready for first use. Once inside the app, students will have to get used to a very simple user interface that promotes fast and easy learning.

• No-hassle variables
• Simple debugger
• Step through expression evaluation
• Faithful representation of function calls
• Highlights syntax errors
• Explains scopes

Thonny app promotes the use of no-hassle variables, an advanced debugger that can perform step-by-step debugging where students can learn to better follow program structure, how to step through expression evaluation, how to handle function calls, and more.

Coding is simplified with automatic highlighting of syntax error, code completion, and highlighting differences between global and local variables.

Also included are support for beginner-friendly system shell for installing extra packages, and plug-in compatibility for uploading code to several online destinations, and even mod for a dark GUI theme.

Thonny is 100% FREE and can be easily installed with the help of an automated installer on Windows 7, 8.1, 10 or 11. Users on Windows Vista or XP will need to follow a different installation procedure, where Thonny and Python need to be installed separately.

Check the installation instructions on the official Thonny website. Windows 8 and 10 users may also receive an “unsafe” SmartScreen prompt from Windows Defender. That is a known issue, and users simply need to click on “More info” and “Run anyway”.

Alternatives

Spyder - IDE tailored for scientific computing.

VS Code - Versatile editor with Python extension support.

Sublime Text - Lightweight editor with Python plugins.

Eclipse IDE - Python support in Eclipse.

Wing IDE - Python-focused development environment.

PROS

• Beginner-Friendly Interface
• Built-In Debugging Tools
• Lightweight and Fast
• Integrated Python Shell
• Simplified Virtual Environments

CONS

• Limited Advanced Features
• Basic Code Editing Options
• Not Ideal for Large Projects
• No Built-In Version Control
• Fewer Extensions Available

Also Available: Download Thonny for Mac