It’s no secret that IPython is my favorite Python shell. I am the guy who is always asking everyone “did you try IPython already?” as soon as I see they opening the regular Python shell. Yes, I know, you’d probably hate me. The reason I like it so much is that IPython makes it very easy for me to incrementally experiment when coding. I consider experimentation to be a crucial step when writing software, as it helps to reduce the unkowns in a problem or technology.

IPython is wonderful and I ❤️ it. I can’t see myself using the default Python shell in a daily basis. However, its default prompt kind of annoys me: Some of the things that I dislike: the banner displayed when we start it; the In[x] and Out[x] displayed for inputs and outputs; the newline in between commands; and last, but far from least, the uber-annoying “do you really want to exit?