The IDE As a Bad Programming Language Enabler

theodp writes "When it comes to monolithic IDEs, Wille Faler has lost that loving feeling. In IDEs Are a Language Smell, Faler blogs about a Eureka! moment he had after years of using Eclipse for Java development. 'If the language is good enough,' Faler argues, 'an IDE is strictly not needed as long as you have good support for syntax highlighting and parens matching in the case of Clojure, or indentation in the case of Haskell.' So why do Java coders turn to Eclipse? 'Because [of] a combination of shortcomings in the Java compiler and Java's OO nature,' explains Faler, 'we end up with lots and lots of small files for every interface and class in our system. On any less than trivial Java system, development quickly turns into a game of code- and file-system navigation rather than programming and code editing. This nature of Java development requires IDEs to become navigation tools above all.' Yes, only an IDE could love AbstractSingletonProxyFactoryBean!"

Re:Word

[equex]

i code with a battery, a resistor and hit the cpu pins with it

Re:But eclipse is terrible at navigation

[santax]

I wanted to ask you about non-trivial tasks that need 100+ projects, but then I noticed your signature. Congrats btw, being head developer of Apple Maps must earn really good!

Re:Word

[santax]

(obligatory) I run emacs on my mainframe, great OS and desktop-environment but I can't understand why Stallman didn't put a decent editor in it.

Re:Word

[gmhowell]

i code with a battery, a resistor and hit the cpu pins with it

Still haven't mastered butterflies, n00bz?

Re:But eclipse is terrible at navigation

[hcs_$reboot]

being head developer of Apple Maps must earn really good!

Well, he's just been fired [wsj.com]. So now he has enough time to spend on slashdot, lucky him. And welcome!

Re:Who the fuck is Willie?

[91degrees]

Almost.

Just needs a good editor.

Re:Word

[Anonymous Coward]

i code with a battery, a resistor and hit the cpu pins with it

Still haven't mastered butterflies, n00bz?

What did you think where Sandy came from?

Re:Word

[WillKemp]

So basically his entire argument boils down to "My programming language is better than yours"?

Of course. My programming language is always better than yours. This is slashdot after all!

Re:Good luck with that

[Robert Zenz]

Uh huh? Naturally, class names such as ASPFB and GDMF and RSAP are evidently more lovable. So much simpler to write...

MyClass, MyConn and MyFunc come to mind...*shudders*

Re:What is he on..

[hcs_$reboot]

Don't underestimate the snobbish aura that immediately emanates from you when you say you're a Haskell programmer.

Re:Word

[Anonymous Coward]

The point is that Java could be a better language.

That is not really something we question. The thing that is up for debate is if Java could be a worse language.

Re:But eclipse is terrible at navigation

[kiddygrinder]

i hope none of your decisions matter to anyone

Re:Word

[wed128]

Java could be worse. It could be Ruby.

Re:Word

[crazyjj]

When I was in college there was a poster that hung in one of the professor's offices. It was a picture of a stern looking old fart glaring at the camera, with the caption "Programming: You're doing it all wrong." Every time one of these discussions comes up on /. I think about that poster. Everyone chimes in with why you have to use X language, why assembly is the ONLY way to program, why all IDE's are evil and you're a terrible programmer unless you use a text editor/VI/punch cards. Blah, blah, blah.

I am a nerd. But sometimes my fellow nerds REALLY get on my fucking nerves. Thank god I don't have to hang out with you lot at parties.

Re:Word

[BonThomme]

you did that wrong

"Everyone else is doing it wrong."

Re:Word

[jeremyp]

It could be C++