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View Full Version : Code editors and evironments.



Eris
07-28-2009, 12:06 PM
Please discuss the pros and cons of various text editors and IDEs. Only post programs you approve of. Don't add editors or IDEs just to thrash-talk them. Try to be balanced.

IDEs

NetBeans: IDE for Java and other languages.
Pros: Really sweet for Java, does auto-completion and even supplies easy-access to the javadoc API. Does AWT-based GUI design. Has a lot of nice features.
Cons: Kind of slow, requires quite a lot of systems resources. While it does support development of a bunch of languages other than Java, I found it's C and C++ development facilities to be somewhat buggy.
Overall: A nice IDE for Java. Limping support for other languages.
Operating Systems: Linux (32 and 64 bit), Windows, other.

Eclipse CDE: IDE for C/C++
Pros: It's got most of what I expect from an IDE.
Cons: Steep learning curve. Even if you're used to IDEs, it takes a good couple of days to figure out most of the features of the environment. Doesn't do GUI design that I know of, not that it bothers me.
Overall: Gets the job done.
Operating Systems: Linux (32 and 64 bit), Windows, (other?)

Code editors:

Vim: All-round text editor.
Pros: Great for touch-typists. Has an enormous amount of features.
Cons: A learning curve a mile high, even entering text can feel like a daunting task at first. Non-intuitive and non-traditional.
Overall: If you know how to use vim properly, it is superior to any other editor. But getting there takes time and patience.
Operating Systems: Unix-like systems, Windows

Emacs: All-round text editor.
Pros: Enormous amount of features. Written in LISP, which is highly integrated into the editor, so you can extend it all you want. Easy to use out of the box.
Cons: Bloated.
Overall: Easier to use than vim, has so many features it's almost ridiculous. Emacs is the editor that gives you your beer with egg already included in it.
Operating Systems: Unix-like systems, Windows