[Python-modules-team] Bug#465841: ipython: screen output makes it hard to use

[Toni Mueller]

Package: ipython
Version: 0.7.2-5
Severity: normal


Hello,

when I try to use ipython, I often give up after a short while because
the screen handling of ipython makes it hard to get things right. Simply
running "python" instead of "ipython" does not have this problem. The
screen output problem itself is like this (simulated screen shot in
ascii art below):

Say, I want to define a function. This looks like this on the screen for
a complete function f(x):

In [1]: def f(x):
   print x
   ...: 

To illustrate the problem, I've started another function, g(x), to show
the cursor position ('_') after hitting return:

In [2]: def g(x):
 _ ...:     

This way, it's nigh impossible to get indentation right, and of course,
once you've done something, to cut&paste it into a real file also
doesn't work, for much the same reason. If I hit Ctrl-C at this point, I
get

   ...:     
KeyboardInterrupt
In [2]: _

with the cursor in the right position (again), and I also can't
backspace over the prompt at this point.

I'm using a UTF-8 environment and have my terminal set to xterm.


Kind regards,
--Toni++



-- System Information:
Debian Release: 4.0
  APT prefers stable
  APT policy: (900, 'stable'), (500, 'unstable'), (500, 'testing')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Shell:  /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash
Kernel: Linux 2.6.22-4-amd64
Locale: LANG=de_DE.utf8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.utf8 (charmap=UTF-8)

Versions of packages ipython depends on:
ii  python                        2.4.4-2    An interactive high-level object-o
ii  python-central                0.5.12     register and build utility for Pyt
ii  python2.4                     2.4.4-3    An interactive high-level object-o

Versions of packages ipython recommends:
ii  python-numeric                24.2-7     Numerical (matrix-oriented) Mathem
ii  python-numeric-ext            24.2-7     Extension modules for Numeric Pyth
ii  python-pexpect                2.1-1      Python module for automating inter

-- no debconf information