problem is when you try to use a generic ide or an ide made for another language is that you get a sub standard experience. For example pyDev is an Eclipse extension that allows one to use Eclipse which is a predominantly Java IDE for Python. I used that in the past now I use PyCharm a Python exclusive IDE that is like nigh and day with PyDev.
Pharo IDE has a lot of issues (auto completion being the worst for me) but its after all tailor made for Pharo. IDE APIs by the way are very common , especially for open source IDEs like Eclipse, Netbeans etc. So its possible to connect pharo with a ton of IDEs out there and not particularly hard , but there is little motivation to do so. On Thu, Jun 8, 2017 at 8:19 AM Ben Coman <[email protected]> wrote: > I just bumped into Microsoft's MIT Licensed IDE "Visual Studio Code" that > runs on OSX, Linux & Windows. What is interesting is their Debug Protocol > for connecting to language specific debuggers. > * https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/extensionAPI/api-debugging > > If I had time, it would be interesting (and super cool) to build a Debug > Adaptor in Pharo > * https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/extensionAPI/language-support > as well as a Language Server Protocol provider > * https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/extensionAPI/language-support > Could make a good student project or two. The skills learnt and > demonstrated would be quite marketable outside of the Pharo community. > > From a marketing perspective, it might be more palatable for existing > Visual Studio users to install Pharo as an extension rather than install > Pharo as a whole new IDE (i.e. Pharo) - a common complaint about Smalltalk > in general. At a minimum there is the exposure gained from Microsoft's > Extension Marketplace, with early adoptors trying out Pharo > just-because-its-there. It also smashes that regular criticism of Smalltalk > that it lives too much in its on isolated world. > > It might attract developers wanting to do polygot development, for example > (just guessing that might be possible): > * game development using Unity libraries for the game engine with Ronnie's > minimal-vm embedded as the scripting language, and debugging both in > parallel from a single environment > * Pharo web server backend with Javascript frontend > > I vaguely wonder if it would be possible to make a Debug Adaptor that > integrates VM & Image level debugging, transparently stepping from > Smalltalk into the VM C code. That could be useful for FFI debugging, or > developing low-level graphics interfaces that might break our internal IDE. > > Disclaimer: Like all my random ideas, its a bit vague and dreamy, but I > had no concept of it yesterday, so just sharing the find to stimulate > future ideas. > > cheers -ben >
