The majority of my academic and professional programming career has been spent writing code using an integrated development environment (IDE). I’ve dabbled with Eclipse, Microsoft Visual Studio, Macrodobe Dreamweaver, and various Borland products. Rather than juggle multiple text editors and source control consoles, I find it easier to stay organized using an IDE on large projects. When editing config files or writing scripts I prefer a lightweight text editor. In Linux, vi or gedit is my choice. Notepad2 is at the top of my Windows list.

A few months ago I decided to learn Ruby and the Ruby on Rails framework. I began with the obligatory Hello World program and quickly progressed through a series of tutorials using vi and gedit to get the job done. Since then, I’ve begun some larger projects and am quickly finding myself losing focus and missing the benefits of an IDE. Consulting Google, I compiled a list of prospective IDEs to begin my evaluation. I’m willing to give each of them a fair chance at becoming my Rails development environment, but have a few questions before I begin. What, if any, IDEs have I missed? How long should I try each one?

Needs (in order of importance):

1. Linux compatible
2. Project Browsing
3. SVN integration
4. Syntax Highlighting
5. Code Completion
6. Active Community
7. Unit Testing
8. Debugging
9. Auto-indent
10. Plugin support
11. Less than $100

The list:
*Each IDE/editor was capable of Project Browsing, Syntax Highlighting, and compatible with Linux.

1. Aptana RadRails
   Pros
   • Good SVN integration.
   • The latest Beta has working Code Completion.
   • Built on Eclipse.
   • More Rails features than Eclipse + DLTK.
   • Many plugins inherited from Eclipse
   • Free.
   Cons
   • Code Completion is broken in the current stable release.
   • Built on Eclipse.
2. Eclipse + DLTK
   Pros
   • SVN integration.
   • DLTK has Code Completion.
   • Tried and true.
   • Vast library of plugins.
   • Active community.
   • Free.
   Cons
   • Eclipse is slow and consumes a lot of memory.
3. FreeRIDE
   Pros
   • Auto-indenting.
   • Debugging.
   • Free.
   Cons
   • No SVN integration.
   • No Code Completion.
   • Performance could be an issue b/c it’s a native Ruby application.
4. gedit + plugins
   Pros
   • Lightweight.
   • Plugins.
   • Free.
   Cons
   • No SVN integration.
   • No Code Completion.
5. jEdit
   Pros
   • SVN integration.
   • Code Completion.
   • Plugins.
   • Free.
   Cons
   • Not user friendly.
6. IntelliJ IDEA 6.0
   Pros
   • SVN integration.
   • Code Completion.
   • Debugging.
   • Unit Testing.
   • Plugins.
   • Much more…
   Cons
   • $249.
7. Komodo IDE 4.1
   Pros
   • SVN integration.
   • Code Completion.
   • Debugging.
   • Built specifically for Ruby on Rails.
   • Much more…
   Cons
   • $295
8. Mondrian Ruby IDE
   Pros
   • Lightweight.
   • Free.
   Cons
   • No SVN integration.
   • No Code Completion.
   • Performance could be an issue b/c it’s a native Ruby application.
   • Spam in support forum.
9. NetBeans Beta 6.0 Milestone 10+
   Pros
   • SVN integration.
   • Code Completion.
   • Debugging.
   • Plugins.
   • Free.
   • Much more…
   Cons
   • Beta.
10. Ruby IDE from CodeGear
    Pros
    • CodeGear experience.
    Cons
    • Feature set not yet released.

I’ll be evaluating each of the IDEs/editors in turn and publishing my results as a series. Feel free to leave feedback and check back soon!