I Want My IDE

Ryan Baxter — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 19:32:00 -0700

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):

Linux compatible
Project Browsing
SVN integration
Syntax Highlighting
Code Completion
Active Community
Unit Testing
Debugging
Auto-indent
Plugin support
Less than $100

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

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.
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.
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.
gedit + plugins
Pros
- Lightweight.
- Plugins.
- Free.
Cons
- No SVN integration.
- No Code Completion.
jEdit
Pros
- SVN integration.
- Code Completion.
- Plugins.
- Free.
Cons
- Not user friendly.
IntelliJ IDEA 6.0
Pros
- SVN integration.
- Code Completion.
- Debugging.
- Unit Testing.
- Plugins.
- Much more…
Cons
- $249.
Komodo IDE 4.1
Pros
- SVN integration.
- Code Completion.
- Debugging.
- Built specifically for Ruby on Rails.
- Much more…
Cons
- $295
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.
NetBeans Beta 6.0 Milestone 10+
Pros
- SVN integration.
- Code Completion.
- Debugging.
- Plugins.
- Free.
- Much more…
Cons
- Beta.
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!

"I Want My IDE" by Ryan Baxter

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 04:44:23 -0700

Thanks Eric! I'll add it to the list.

"I Want My IDE" by Eric Promislow

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:11:58 -0700

Komodo Edit is a free variant of Komodo IDE. You won't have debugging or source-code control integration, but you will get the same Rails project integration and code-completion that's in IDE. Yes, I work on Komodo. Good luck with your search.

crunchlife: I Want My IDE

I Want My IDE

"I Want My IDE" by Ryan Baxter

"I Want My IDE" by Eric Promislow