For a few months now I’ve been using the IPython Notebook as my primary teaching tool for Python topics. Within Software Carpentry we’re also switching over to using the Notebook for both in-person bootcamps and our online repository of material. Ethan White and I put together a post on this topic on the Software Carpentry blog and now Titus Brown has blogged with his own thoughts. We’ve put in a PyCon proposal for a panel on this topic in 2013.

The IPython developers have to be given a huge amount of credit for putting together the Notebook and the rest of IPython. The Notebook especially is quite a feat: a top notch research/engineering/teaching tool all in one. And they aren’t resting on their laurels, they have a ton of ideas in mind for the Notebook in the future, including a slide-show mode. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what they’ve got!

As with many open source projects, the IPython developers struggle to find the time and funding to write their software. If any open source project is helping with your job or your research you can easily help by citing the software in your papers and in public on social media or blogs. This gives the developers more ammunition the next time they’re writing grants, so please make your support known!