On Sat, Aug 17, 2002 at 11:58:36PM +0900, bbense+comp.lang.ruby.Aug.17.02 / telemark.stanford.edu wrote:
> - - I can do all this in Emacs and have a powerful editor. Is it
>   easy and simple and out of the box? Well, for C lang
>   programming it pretty much is. It's a bit harder for Ruby, 
>   but it's all possible. 
> 
> - - I suspect you can do the same with a sufficently powerful
>   version of VIM. I think the key thing for me is that the
>   tool has to be scriptable. Ultimately you will run into
>   a place where the IDE or editor just doesn't do the 
>   "right" thing. With most IDE's you're stuck then, you're
>   stuck then with a lot of editors. IMHO, there's something
>   wrong when a programmer is using a tool that isn't
>   programable. 

The other thing is that it's nice to have a low entry overhead to
add scripts. Visual C++ can add in programmable components, but you
have to spend significant time learning how to get all the misc
glue code working. Emacs is a little easier (but more intimidating)
in that respect.


> - - I think the big problem with most IDE's is that the designers
>   get confused and actually just build a specialized editor. 
>   Any IDE worth the name should allow the editor to be a 
>   pluggable tool. The fact that you are asking this question
>   implies to me that the tool you're using is broken. It 
>   shouldn't be an either/or choice, environments with both
>   have been around for twenty years. 
> 
> - - Booker C. Bense 

-- 
Alan Chen
Digikata LLC
http://digikata.com