M
markspace
wrote:
<snip/>
If you read what I wrote, I said that, in some aspects (which, to
me, there are a considerable number), some text editors are better
than IDEs. I did
What you wrote was, with the full context:
They also tend to be inferior in a considerable number of aspects,
particularly when compared with the features provided by some text
editors. Between being forced to stick with an IDE and managing the
build process by hand, the latter option sounds a lot better.
"A considerable number of aspects." Which is greatly different that
"some," according to my grade school English teacher.
Nonetheless, we should understand that there is no such thing as a
"one size fits all" solution. No IDE is the best tool for every
conceivable scenario ever faced by every programmer that ever lived.
Which was going to be my next point. I still use vim, grep, find,
strings, zip/jar as well as any other tool that happens to be the best
for the job at the time. I've got no problem using a different editor
for a job if it happens to provide some cool feature that I need. I'm
happy with my IDE is most respects, but sometimes I do use a different
tool if it does something my current tool won't.
Now, just to point out how a "modern IDE" is inadequate in some
circumstances, I can point you to those cases where a programmer,
for some reason, happens to need to work on some project with one of
those flimsy netbook computers, the ones with tiny monitors and
limited disk space. Running an IDE on one of those systems is an
experience that only a masochist can enjoy, and even then he would
have trouble doing any work. Meanwhile, it isn't hard to find a
bunch of text editors that work perfectly well with those
limitations.
Weak sauce. I do develop on a flimsy notebook with a small screen
exclusively -- a Fujitsu Lifebook. And with a couple of mouse clicks my
IDE will expand to full screen (and back, with a couple of more). If I
bother to use the actual options menu, I can increase the font size to
anything I like. (I just increased it to 14 point, just to check it. I
can read my text from across the room now!)