I use the python shell in two ways: to try/explore things in isolation, without having to muck with the larger thing I'm working on; and similarly, just learnin

I use the python shell in two ways: to try/explore things in isolation, without having to muck with the larger thing I'm working on; and similarly, just learning things in general without a focus on a particular project. And now with the ipython notebook (jupyter) I use the shell in a third way, to repeatably explore and demonstrate larger, less isolated things that are still sort of one-offs. That said, I think the fact that there is a significant handful of C++ compiler/implementations in use, and some latitude in behavior for each, means that a C++ user is very much a user of the compiler as much as the language. Play but verify, I guess.