Do your eyes glaze over when you see the same old prompt every time you open up a new window?

First off, let me just say that these are not necessarily better than what IDLE offers out of the box. In fact, they might even be worse in some cases. But hey, variety is the spice of life! And sometimes it’s fun to switch things up and try something new.

So without further ado, let me introduce you to my top three picks for standard stream replacements:

1) The Terminal This one might seem like a no-brainer, but hear me out. Sometimes you just need that classic terminal feel. You know what I’m talking about the green text on black background, the blinking cursor, the command line interface. It’s all there! And best of all, it’s free (unless you count the cost of your computer screen).

To use this standard stream replacement in Python, simply open up a terminal window and type “python” followed by whatever script or code snippet you want to run. You’re now using IDLE with a twist.

2) The Notepad Okay, so maybe the Terminal isn’t your thing. Maybe you prefer something a little more… basic? Well, have I got news for you! Introducing the Notepad standard stream replacement. This one is perfect if you want to keep things simple and straightforward.

To use this standard stream replacement in Python, simply open up a text document (like Notepad) and copy/paste your code into it. Save the file with a .py extension, then run it using whatever method your operating system prefers (e.g. double-clicking on Windows or dragging and dropping onto Terminal on Mac).

3) The Spreadsheet Wait, what? A spreadsheet as a standard stream replacement for IDLE?! You betcha! Sometimes you just need to see your code in a different format. Maybe you’re working with large datasets that are easier to manage in a spreadsheet than in Python. Or maybe you want to visualize the output of your script using charts and graphs. Whatever the case, the Spreadsheet standard stream replacement has got you covered!

To use this standard stream replacement in Python, simply copy/paste your code into a new sheet (or cell) in your favorite spreadsheet program. Run it as usual, then watch the magic happen!

Give them a try and let me know what you think! And if you’ve got any other suggestions or ideas, feel free to share in the comments below.