Among full IDEs, Eclispe is a skinny model. It is built with SWT, a native UI bridge with Java interface. They neutered Java from Xcode 3.2 and I was weary to use Eclispe; but after attempts to use Xcode deadended, and Eclipse became inevitable, I was pleasantly surprised at its agility even compared to the native Xcode.
(That is to say on recent hardware of at least 2Gb RAM and a Core CPU. But hardware is so cheap now, there is no point in sticking to the old junk.*) The trade-offs are plentyfull: syntax highlighting, a very nice debugger, intergratipn with tons of other stuff that comes with it "for free". How ever it is still nice to have your own IDE as a tour de force. And that is the most compelling reason. *) in fact, it is more financially prudent to buy hardware with resale value and trade it in periodically, rather than wait intil it reaches 0--morally and monetarilly. For computer/cellphone it is probably 1/3 initial value a year. I applied this ownership model with all three generations of iPhones. I know someone who even makes money selling refurbished upgraded Macs on eBay. On Oct 14, 2009, at 6:45 PM, Henry Rich <[email protected]> wrote: I use the GL stuff a lot, and I'm trembling at the thought that it might not be supported compatibly. But that will be revealed in due time. I tried Eclipse with my Java class last year & I hated it. It was big and slow. It would be awful to be stuck with that every time I wanted to write J code. I like the IDE just as it is - not that it's so great, but I know it, and it meets my needs. Henry Rich Dan Bron wrote: I wrote: But I don't know how much thought or effort has already gone into the new IDE, or even what its goals are. I may not specifically know its goals, but thinking about it more, I realize I do know some of its constraints. The IDE actually wears two hats. It's a code development tool *and* a solution component. It actually provides some of J's functionality. Specifically wd (including timers), sockets, a COM server, and all that GL stuff I never use. It probably won't be easy to port all that functionality to Eclipse. Particularly if JSoftware is aiming at any reasonable level of backwards compatibility. That said, while it wouldn't be easy, it would be possible, and the benefits may outweigh the costs. But that's not my call to make. -Dan ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
