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As an alternate anecdote, I spent hours trying to figure out how to compile some basic C code in VSCode - neck deep in configurations and hidden menus with spec
by Alupis 6y ago
As an alternate anecdote, I spent hours trying to figure out how to compile some basic C code in VSCode - neck deep in configurations and hidden menus with special button combinations, etc - only to break down and install some random plugin.
The point is, any new environment is going to be jarring at first. You have to learn how to use your IDE - and once your do, productivity can go way up (this is why people do not switch IDE's very often, you must invest in your IDE to master it). Every IDE has different productivity-enhancing features (beyond basic code suggestions and auto-complete).
If you can master a brand new (to you) IDE in minutes, then it's frankly not a very powerful IDE. The basics, like refactor some code, move some source files around, create a new file, etc - sure, those should come easy. Things that don't come easy is how to create new file templates, enforce code styling, configure database connections (if you work that way, I don't), how to package your software, and the plethora of other things IDE's do for us these days.
- powersnail 6y agoVSCode, being a text editor, of course would need some random plugins to behave like a IDE (i.e. compile some basic C code). You can prefer an IDE, or a text editor + plugins. Either would be fair. But the complaint that text editor without plugins doesn't "compile" your C code is misdirected.
- Alupis 6y agoI don't think you can call VSCode a text editor. Their own website champions IntelliSense, Debugging, and Built-in Git for starters. That sounds like an Integrated Development Environment to me... We've strayed from the initial point - IDE's are complicated because they do complicated things. Any new IDE is going to be difficult to use at first, unless all you need is the absolute basics (a la text editor). Criticizing Eclipse for not knowing how to use it after 10 years (effectively using it for the first time I'd argue) is definitely unfair.
- kstrauser 6y agoYou said it's not reasonable for someone who hasn't used a certain IDE for 10 years to be able to navigate around in it easily. I countered that VS Code was very easy for me to find my way around even though I'd never used it. For giggles, I just installed Eclipse for the very first time on this computer. I opened a Python file, and it's visible in the middle third of the window, surrounded by wide sidebars and a bottom section with labels like "Markers", "Servers", "Data Source Explorer", and so on [0]. I have literally no idea what I'm supposed to do next, or how to fix that I can only see a tiny bit of my code by default. Contrast with opening a file in a brand new, unconfigured VS Code setup [1]. I'm not saying that Eclipse is bad, just that I don't know how to use it. That's not a criticism of it. However, I strongly thing that the first-time experience of opening VS Code is miles better than that of Eclipse, and I guess I am criticizing that a little bit. [0] https://imgur.com/a/ImVGDgN https://imgur.com/a/ImVGDgN [1] https://imgur.com/I34NT9r https://imgur.com/I34NT9r
- Alupis 6y agoWe can nitpick this all we want - because in your VSCode screenshot I do not see where I can add a new file, or rename my open file, or create a project structure, etc. In your Eclipse screenshot, it seems pretty obvious you can click-drag the window to be larger. So, what is it we're arguing about then, if we both agree a default UI layout isn't indicative of a good or bad IDE? I'd wager if you spent a few hours in Eclipse you'd feel comfortable navigating your project too. AKA, invest the time and learn the tool you will be using.
- fomine3 6y agoGenerally agreed but I still think its navigation isn't good. source: I should use Eclipse at work for a few years