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I'm going to get flack for this, certainly in this discussion, but... seriously? What is this obsession with cloud IDEs? The reason you can't convince me is th

I'm going to get flack for this, certainly in this discussion, but... seriously? What is this obsession with cloud IDEs? The reason you can't convince me is that nobody has ever been able to explain in clear terms the benefit or the point of using a cloud IDE. A cloud IDE presupposes excellent uninterrupted connectivity. Guess what? I often work on the move and often don't have that. I'll admit that keeping Visual Studio service packed can be tiresome but this irritation is vastly outweighed by the fact that I can use it on the move. Likewise Sublime Text, or WebStorm, or whatever. And it's not as if software updates can't be solved in a different way (Chrome, Firefox). For me the combination of a locally installed IDE with a distributed version control system still offers the best value prop for working portably. I'm not saying a cloud IDE is always a terrible idea but, after 4+ years of these things, I still don't really get the appeal.

elcct 10y ago
I think it is better to use the term "IDE on someone else's computer" and the whole "magic" disappears.
peterder 10y ago
As a former volunteer CS instructor (for high school students), the cloud IDEs were great for use on school owned hardware that got wiped randomly, often had boot issues, etc. As long as the students had a working machine, they'd be able to get to their projects regardless of whether it was on the machine they used the previous day (without have to deal with git/etc). In my professional life I would never use these tools.
- baldfat 10y ago
  I use them the same way. I find git as a single developer to be also a much better fit for me. I work in three different locations on three different machines and a laptop. Git works for me, but I have taught some and the cloud IDE is great for teaching.
- bartread 10y ago
  That actually makes some sense, and I suppose it's potentially quite a big market (if one that's strapped for cash). Which did you use, and how did the students find them in terms of complexity?

elcct 10y ago

I think it is better to use the term "IDE on someone else's computer" and the whole "magic" disappears.

peterder 10y ago

As a former volunteer CS instructor (for high school students), the cloud IDEs were great for use on school owned hardware that got wiped randomly, often had boot issues, etc. As long as the students had a working machine, they'd be able to get to their projects regardless of whether it was on the machine they used the previous day (without have to deal with git/etc). In my professional life I would never use these tools.

baldfat 10y ago
I use them the same way. I find git as a single developer to be also a much better fit for me. I work in three different locations on three different machines and a laptop. Git works for me, but I have taught some and the cloud IDE is great for teaching.
bartread 10y ago
That actually makes some sense, and I suppose it's potentially quite a big market (if one that's strapped for cash). Which did you use, and how did the students find them in terms of complexity?