1. An editor is a simple, minimal platform for editing text without any additional highlighting or aligning functionalities. An example of an editor is Notepad. On the other hand, an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a special piece of software that has various features integrated within it; these typically include syntax highlighting, automatic indention, debugging tools, and much more.
2. Development in Python does not require significant boilerplate code, which is one of the aspects of programming that an IDE sets out to solve. Some have argued that relying on an IDE too much can make programmers forget—or altogether prevent them from learning—the core principles and syntax of a given programming language.
3. A good strategy is to start off by using a simple editor to familiarize yourself with the language and its core syntax structure; once a good understanding of the language has been gained, you can then explore advanced functionalities that an IDE provides to see whether they will be able to make you more productive. Being familiar with a text editor can also help you learn how to use an IDE faster, so that is one more reason to employ this strategy.
4. PyCharm operates on two main principles: improving the productivity of the user and developing a good real-time coding assisting feature. PyCharm looks set to incorporate several features that set itself above the rest of the Python editors and IDEs: streamlined, graphical support for testing/debugging; integrated web development tools; and support for scientific computing options.
5. PyCharm offers two versions: the free Community version and the paid Professional version. The Professional version includes all the functionalities of the Community version while having other exclusive features such as web development tools and scientific computing support.
6. While there are some important features that are only included in the paid Professional version, any Python programmer can still benefit from the free Community version. However, if you are working with large, complex projects with many moving parts (including database management, web development languages, and viewability in scientific reports), then you will most likely benefit from using the Professional version.