My intro course used BlueJ, which is (was?) some sort of dumbed down Java IDE specifically for students. The thought was that dealing with all of the crap surro

My intro course used BlueJ, which is (was?) some sort of dumbed down Java IDE specifically for students. The thought was that dealing with all of the crap surrounding software development, like make systems, editors, compiler flags, etc was a distraction from learning basic programming constructs. Looking back I agree completely. As a new programmer, things like compiler flags are pretty much black magic. You don't really learn anything by reciting magic spells. Learning development tools like the CLI, IDEs, debuggers, linters, et. al. should be required for a CS degree. I don't think an intro course is the right setting.