The following works for me. Mac OS 10.6.3.
First, launch Terminal.app. Enter this command:
A few seconds elapse, then a separate Python Shell window appears with the copyright notice, firewall message, and finally the >>> prompt. Example from an IDLE tutorial:
http://hkn.eecs.berkeley.edu/~dyoo/python/idle_intro/index.html
except mine says IDLE 2.6.1.
I then type in:
and hit Return. It prints what I typed in.
This isn't the only way to run Python's IDLE, but it does work here.
I suggest copying the contents of the IDLE window that shows the command and resulting error message, and pasting it into a post. It's as simple as cmd-A (Select All), cmd-C (Copy) in the IDLE window, then paste it into a reply post and surround it with CODE tags.
It would be a good idea to identify exactly which OS version and Python version you're using, along with the IDLE version. Also, if you're using IDLE.app rather than the command-line I entered, or some other way of starting IDLE, that should also be identified.
