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A couple of observations: - Something like Light Table would probably seem like a step up for repl.it users, instead of a step down. - It can take a long time

by rpeden 8y ago

A couple of observations: - Something like Light Table would probably seem like a step up for repl.it users, instead of a step down. - It can take a long time to reach the point where it feels like there's a big payoff from using IDEs and similar tool. Now, I definitely see the value of being able to do something like set a breakpoint in Visual Studio, step through a bit of code and observer local values changing, and then step backward, change the value of some variables or even edit my code a bit, and then step forward again to observe how my changes impacted the execution of the code. But when you're just learning, it's hard to even know that this kind of time travel debugging and live editing is even possible, and even when you know it's possible, it can be difficult to envision how you'd want to use it until you have more experience.

amasad 8y ago
I think for someone not familiar with repl.it and just reading this might get the impression that we are anti-IDE features. That is not at all the point. In fact we think Code Intellisense is essential. We start a Language Server for many of the languages that we support: https://repl.it/blog/intel https://repl.it/blog/intel
- rpeden 8y ago
  That's a fair point! I suppose I don't see Intellisense as something that's IDE specific anymore. It's available in plenty of editors that aren't IDEs, and I think that's a very good thing. The line is pretty blurry sometimes, too. For example, I don't think it would be inaccurate to call VS Code just and editor, even if it doesn't have any many features as Visual Studio. For me, the some of the big wins with heavyweight IDEs are things like built-in debuggers(which I know repl.it has), heap snapshots, CPU and memory use profiling over time, and other tools along those lines. So I definitely wouldn't want anyone to think repl.it is opposed to IDE features; I think you've already implemented the IDE features that will provide the biggest wins for your users. And so I don't come across as someone who jsut loves big, complex tools: I agree with what you've written in the past about envionments like Smalltalk and Lisp Machines. I think we've forgotten about a lot of innovation that we could be making better use of. I think we've forgotten about some of the best parts of Hypercard, too. And even VB6.
- kstenerud 8y ago
  I think part of the problem is your home page, because it doesn't say anything about what your product is, or what it does, or what your mission is, or how it helps me. I went to the bottom of the page to find the "about" link, which had a 1 line mission statement that doesn't say much, and a bunch of employee pictures. I still don't know what it is you do, other than your name which implies a repl, which most languages have already.
  - amasad 8y ago
    Which problem?
hinkley 8y ago
I see a lot of Chesterton’s fence/self fulfillment around text editor folks. I don’t care if you use a text editor but I do care if you make design and process decisions that mute or erode the power of IDEs. There are ways to organize code and modules such that you have to have a mental model of the entire system because they sabotage the static analysis that IDEs build much of their functionality off of. Don’t do that and we’re fine. Do that and we have a problem.

by rpeden 8y ago

amasad 8y ago

I think for someone not familiar with repl.it and just reading this might get the impression that we are anti-IDE features. That is not at all the point. In fact we think Code Intellisense is essential. We start a Language Server for many of the languages that we support: https://repl.it/blog/intel https://repl.it/blog/intel

rpeden 8y ago
That's a fair point! I suppose I don't see Intellisense as something that's IDE specific anymore. It's available in plenty of editors that aren't IDEs, and I think that's a very good thing. The line is pretty blurry sometimes, too. For example, I don't think it would be inaccurate to call VS Code just and editor, even if it doesn't have any many features as Visual Studio. For me, the some of the big wins with heavyweight IDEs are things like built-in debuggers(which I know repl.it has), heap snapshots, CPU and memory use profiling over time, and other tools along those lines. So I definitely wouldn't want anyone to think repl.it is opposed to IDE features; I think you've already implemented the IDE features that will provide the biggest wins for your users. And so I don't come across as someone who jsut loves big, complex tools: I agree with what you've written in the past about envionments like Smalltalk and Lisp Machines. I think we've forgotten about a lot of innovation that we could be making better use of. I think we've forgotten about some of the best parts of Hypercard, too. And even VB6.
kstenerud 8y ago
I think part of the problem is your home page, because it doesn't say anything about what your product is, or what it does, or what your mission is, or how it helps me. I went to the bottom of the page to find the "about" link, which had a 1 line mission statement that doesn't say much, and a bunch of employee pictures. I still don't know what it is you do, other than your name which implies a repl, which most languages have already.
- amasad 8y ago
  Which problem?

hinkley 8y ago

I see a lot of Chesterton’s fence/self fulfillment around text editor folks. I don’t care if you use a text editor but I do care if you make design and process decisions that mute or erode the power of IDEs. There are ways to organize code and modules such that you have to have a mental model of the entire system because they sabotage the static analysis that IDEs build much of their functionality off of. Don’t do that and we’re fine. Do that and we have a problem.