Gabriel Sechan wrote:
From: "Paul G. Allen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
I often wonder why so many UNIX folks are so against the use of an IDE
(not referring to people here - though there may be some - but many
people I've worked with).
The Unix way- write simple tools that do one job and one job well.
Then tie them together to do complex jobs.
Oh yes, the UNIX way, despite the fact that it sometimes hampers
productivity.
IDEs tend to violate the Unix way. They do everything. They do some of
those well, some of those not so well. Some of them downright poorly.
For example, it may do the debugger well, the compilation not so well,
and the text editing poorly.
That goes for any application. The answer is in making the proper choice.
On the other hand, we can follow the Unix principle and use 3 different
tools- a text editor, a debugger, and a makefile system. By using 3
different tools, we get the best of each. This allows us to maximize
our power. It also allows us to program to the different parts. Take
the debugger for example. We can use gdb. On top of that, we have DDD
for a graphical display. We can also use the gdb directly and script
commands to it. I've done that before to set up groups of breakpoints I
commonly use. Very few IDEs have that degree of functionality.
By using one or two tools, I can have all of the above, and all done quite well.
Dismissing their abilities out-of-hand just because they don't follow the "UNIX
Way", or because they are integrated and all integrated applications are crap, is
just making an uninformed decision.
I'd be more likely to use an IDE if it was flexible- if you could say
use the text editor in $EDITOR, the debugger in $DEBUGGER, and the
compile system in $COMPILER. Of course when you get it to that level of
flexibility, you basicly are doing the normal Unix way with an extra set
of menus on top.
And what I use is just that. Obviously you didn't bother to look at them.
Really, I don't see anything an IDE gives me that I can't have better by
just opening 3 separate apps on a new workspace.
Tell me another application that will do what Understand does, as easily,
for the same price range, and I'll try it. In addition, I find it far faster,
easier, and more productive to use Code Forge if I need version control, and/or
a language other than C/C++, or if I'm developing a multi-language system. Show
me another way to do what Code Forge does, again for the same price range, and
I'll try it.
I too used to use several applications (vi, emacs, cvs or rcs, various
compilers, gdb, etc.) for development, but now I use the two I mentioned
because I can do things far faster with them, especially when it comes to
learning and maintaining a new application that someone else wrote.
PGA
--
Paul G. Allen
Owner, Sr. Engineer, Security Specialist
Random Logic/Dream Park
www.randomlogic.com
--
[email protected]
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