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This is a meta-issue for the following blog post: http://inventwithpython.com/blog/2011/11/29/the-things-i-hate-about-idle-that-i-wish-someone-would-fix/
There are a bunch of good ideas there that should be split out into a number of separate bug reports and feature requests. This meta-bug is just a quick and dirty way to suggest doing so, and giving people a place to collaborate on the task.

If you decide to work on one of the problems or feature requests mentioned in that post:
1. Create a separate, appropriately titled, tracker issue
2. Add that issue to the Dependencies field on this one.
3. Add a comment here to map the point number from the blog post to the relevant tracker issue number (so that issues don't get doubled up).

Also add dependencies and links for any already known issues. For example:
#10747 covers point 16) (re. version numbers in Windows shortcuts)

#10364 covers point 7 (make .py default added extension on save)

#2704 covers point 1 (In the shell window, if you click anywhere but on the current line and move the cursor there, the window stops handling key strokes.)
#3851 covers point 1.1) "Pressing the Home key moves the cursor before the >>> prompt, which then makes the keyboard unresponsive."
#7136 covers point 5) "Opening a file editor window or a shell window isn’t clear."
#6804 and #6858 are also related to point 7 "It’s too easy to forget the .py extension when saving a file."
#694339 covers point 13) "The Indent Region and Dedent Region lines use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-] and Ctrl-[, even though nobody uses that because you can indent the region by pressing tab."
#5150 is related to point 14) "Get rid of the Format > "Strip trailing whitespace" option from the menu"
#10747 covers point 16) "The Windows shortcuts for IDLE don’t have the version in their name."

#13884 has a patch to address point 4) ANNOYANCE: Get rid of the detachable menus feature.

http://bugs.python.org/issue17535 covers issue 12 Add an option to show line numbers along the left side of the editor window, and have it enabled by default.

Issue17721 addresses part of point 11) "And am I the only person who noticed that the Help button doesn’t actually do anything?"

1.1) "Pressing the Home key moves the cursor before the >>> prompt, which then makes the keyboard unresponsive." 
This issue is still broken on Mac OS X.
http://bugs.python.org/issue18444 

http://inventwithpython.com/blog/2011/11/29/the-things-i-hate-about-idle-that-i-wish-someone-would-fix/comment-page-1/#comment-2726
Professor teaching Python says '4. UNFRIENDLY: Forcing a kill of a running script by clicking the X close button brings up the scary message of "killing" something.'. 
>>> input('say something')
say something <try to close shell with [x]>
Unless someone objects within a few days, I will change message title and text to
Stop your program?
Your program is still running! Do you want to stop it and exit the Shell?

General comment: I am less willing to casually change defaults or even remove features, and upset current habits of current users, than the blogger and responders. I now have an organized list of all open Idle issues. I am checking this list against that and am incorporating data from messages above.
1a. #2704 (limited from request) jump to prompt when hitting character key.
1b. (my idea) add run-undo that will delete output and reactivate previous input line for editing.
1.1 #3851, #17060, #18444 HOME, fixed on non-mac,
1.2 copy on highlight. Rejected. I constantly use auto-copy to >>>.
2. Debug highlight. If still true, probably only or worse on Windows.
3. 15308 Stop execution. (same as control-C) Restart Shell (C-F6) does more that stopping a statement, but is only sure way to stop.
4. #13884 Tear of menu optional or gone
5. #7136 New Window -> New Editor Window
6. Pygame issue or perhaps fixed as similar complaints have been.
7. #10364 .py extension, #6804 and #6858 are related.
8a. Delete ZoomHeight. Low priority, someone might use it.
8b. Tile Shell & Editor: I would like to tile two notebooks (#9262).
9. Surrounding parens. delete or make auto
10. #17942 Improve debugger gui.
11. #17721 Help button. Also Improve Idle config dialog. Maybe.
12. #17535 Line numbers in editor.
13. #694339 dedent with shift Tab.
14. #5150 Strip trailing whitespace: auto for .py (including trailing \ns.
15. Save dialog: Save, Don't Save instead of yes/ no.
16. #10747 Icon version
17. c-wheel, change font size (see turtledemo #21933).
U1. Specify argv when run.
U2. #19406 include pip (Win, Mac, at least)
U3. Detect if 2.x or 3.x code (could at least 
U4. Repeat of 1a
R4.1 Idle and input(); works now
R4.2 Idle and turtle; works now
R4.3a Highlight blocks #6804 in part
R4.3b 22354 Highlight tabs versus spaces.
R5.1 Mac focus issue.
R5.2

I am closing this kitchen-sink as unneeded since there are issues for most everything I think worthwhile.
14 #40905 However, tkinter.messagebox dialogs have canned buttons that cannot be relabeled, so would have to use something else.
U1 Run => Run... Customized allows specification of argv.
U2 Integrated pip not allowed.
U3 Detecting 2x code. No.
U4, reread "I'd move the final >>> prompt to a small separate window on its own at the bottom of the interactive shell window. This way, the top area is read-only" I intend to do this.