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A lot of people find a dark look and feel much less distracting. Now that we’ve added it, you can focus more on the code and less on the IDE. (Above screenshot

A lot of people find a dark look and feel much less distracting. Now that we’ve added it, you can focus more on the code and less on the IDE. (Above screenshot: http://blogs.jetbrains.com/idea/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/darcula-1.png http://blogs.jetbrains.com/idea/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/d... ) I can't tell if we're being punk'd. I'm expected to take that screenshot as an example of a less distracting user interface for creative work? My condolences to anyone using the presumably more distracting previous version.

epidemian 14y ago
The screenshot shows a debugging session. Both the debugging panel at the bottom and the project panel at the left can be collapsed. So it's not that bad. But in general, yes, i agree in that Intellij IDEA's interface is quite overloaded. I haven't tried any language-specific version of the IDE, like PhpStorm or PyCharm; maybe those are less loaded, IDK.
- Joeri 14y ago
  Phpstorm user myself, it's as overloaded, but having used most of the competing IDE's I think Phpstorm is one of the cleanest / lightest.
chillax 14y ago
Here's a bit less cluttered one.. http://imgur.com/rhZQZ http://imgur.com/rhZQZ With the search for class/file/symbol navigation it is usually possible to live in this mode most part of the day :-)
- famousactress 14y ago
  Oh thank goodness. I'll hold off on setting up the relief fund then :)
- acavailhez 14y ago
  With the "Alt double tap and hold" keyboard shortcut, you can even remove all the side buttons
eropple 14y ago
That's a debugging view on a really small window. The bottom panes only show up while you're debugging and the left pane is your project browser, which you can show or hide with Ctrl-1 or Cmd-1 depending on your OS. I use it at 1680x1050 on my rMBP and it's fantastic.
manojlds 14y ago
I think the aim was to show how the dark look looked across various windows and panes.
- zainny 14y ago
  This x10. Why is the snarky/brain-dead reply always top on HN, when a perfectly reasonable interpretation is available? Obviously, the intent with the screenshot was to show how the theme applies across multiple different windows.
  - duaneb 14y ago
    I found it obvious that the new screenshot was showing off the dark theme. I found it far less obvious whether they expected to it to show a "more clean and functional" interface.
JonAtkinson 14y ago
I use PyCharm (which is essentially the same product). I love the IDE features, and it's possible to build a far less cluttered workspace. Screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/C6Uq6.png http://i.imgur.com/C6Uq6.png
- Goopplesoft 14y ago
  PyCharm is absolutely lovely. I'd suggest the EAP program since it has a new new UI as well. http://confluence.jetbrains.com/display/PYH/JetBrains+PyCharm+Preview http://confluence.jetbrains.com/display/PYH/JetBrains+PyChar...
- sahat 14y ago
  How do you hide the top toolbar completely? (http://i.imgur.com/rhZQZ.png http://i.imgur.com/rhZQZ.png)
  - JonAtkinson 14y ago
    There is an option to toggle the toolbar in the menu: View > Toolbar
    - sahat 14y ago
      It has already been unchecked. But then I found View > Navigation Bar. That's exactly what I was looking for.
- shimms 14y ago
  Another minimal approach in RubyMine (another IntelliJ IDEA 12 based product): http://i.imgur.com/C9zax.png http://i.imgur.com/C9zax.png Just because the IDE has a lot of features doesn't mean you need to have them all enabled at once.
calpaterson 14y ago
Yeah, I use Intellij daily, and the UI is quite poor. Little things like the way tabs work, the way the debugger buttons are inscrutable, the way that the vertical splitting works with opening files using the C-S-n shortcut, etc are quite annoying.
- TylerE 14y ago
  It's redeeming quality is that the only worse UIs are every other IDE. (Expecting perhaps Visual Studio, which is not a viable option for non-MS shops)
masklinn 14y ago
> I can't tell if we're being punk'd. You just completely and utterly missed that it's a 950x570 screenshot (so essentially a stamp) during a debugging session with the visual debugger taking the bottom half of the screen.
- rhizome 14y ago
  What does that resolution correspond to, an Asus eee?
- famousactress 14y ago
  No, I caught that. I just honestly don't think what's witnessed in that screenshot would be repaired by a screen of any resolution. It's a UI/UX tragedy of a severely high order.
  - masklinn 14y ago
    > It's a UI/UX tragedy of a severely high order. An editor with a project tree is a UI/UX tragedy?
ConstantineXVI 14y ago
I haven't spotted much change in the layout of the UI in between 11->12, but the new styling is definitely (IMHO) much easier on the eyes. (And 11's was still IMHO less distracting than Eclipse, period)
adolfojp 14y ago
As a person who suffers from black floaters in his eyes the black UI elements are always welcome. The elements by themselves might not be less distracting but they make my floaters a lot less distracting.
justafucker 14y ago
Actually you are able to customize almost everything. Just have a look at the screenshots below. Without toolbar and tool window bars: https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/shared/minimized_with_project_view.png?w=5b60d4e6 https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/shared/minimized_with_project... Without toolbar, tool window bars and project window: https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/shared/minimized.png?w=bea92cbd https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/shared/minimized.png?w=bea92c... Full screen: https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/shared/minimized_full_screen.png?w=2f4d626c https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/shared/minimized_full_screen....

epidemian 14y ago

The screenshot shows a debugging session. Both the debugging panel at the bottom and the project panel at the left can be collapsed. So it's not that bad. But in general, yes, i agree in that Intellij IDEA's interface is quite overloaded. I haven't tried any language-specific version of the IDE, like PhpStorm or PyCharm; maybe those are less loaded, IDK.

Joeri 14y ago
Phpstorm user myself, it's as overloaded, but having used most of the competing IDE's I think Phpstorm is one of the cleanest / lightest.

chillax 14y ago

Here's a bit less cluttered one.. http://imgur.com/rhZQZ http://imgur.com/rhZQZ With the search for class/file/symbol navigation it is usually possible to live in this mode most part of the day :-)

famousactress 14y ago
Oh thank goodness. I'll hold off on setting up the relief fund then :)
acavailhez 14y ago
With the "Alt double tap and hold" keyboard shortcut, you can even remove all the side buttons

eropple 14y ago

That's a debugging view on a really small window. The bottom panes only show up while you're debugging and the left pane is your project browser, which you can show or hide with Ctrl-1 or Cmd-1 depending on your OS. I use it at 1680x1050 on my rMBP and it's fantastic.

manojlds 14y ago

I think the aim was to show how the dark look looked across various windows and panes.

zainny 14y ago
This x10. Why is the snarky/brain-dead reply always top on HN, when a perfectly reasonable interpretation is available? Obviously, the intent with the screenshot was to show how the theme applies across multiple different windows.
- duaneb 14y ago
  I found it obvious that the new screenshot was showing off the dark theme. I found it far less obvious whether they expected to it to show a "more clean and functional" interface.

JonAtkinson 14y ago

I use PyCharm (which is essentially the same product). I love the IDE features, and it's possible to build a far less cluttered workspace. Screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/C6Uq6.png http://i.imgur.com/C6Uq6.png

Goopplesoft 14y ago
PyCharm is absolutely lovely. I'd suggest the EAP program since it has a new new UI as well. http://confluence.jetbrains.com/display/PYH/JetBrains+PyCharm+Preview http://confluence.jetbrains.com/display/PYH/JetBrains+PyChar...
sahat 14y ago
How do you hide the top toolbar completely? (http://i.imgur.com/rhZQZ.png http://i.imgur.com/rhZQZ.png)
- JonAtkinson 14y ago
  There is an option to toggle the toolbar in the menu: View > Toolbar
  - sahat 14y ago
    It has already been unchecked. But then I found View > Navigation Bar. That's exactly what I was looking for.
shimms 14y ago
Another minimal approach in RubyMine (another IntelliJ IDEA 12 based product): http://i.imgur.com/C9zax.png http://i.imgur.com/C9zax.png Just because the IDE has a lot of features doesn't mean you need to have them all enabled at once.

calpaterson 14y ago

Yeah, I use Intellij daily, and the UI is quite poor. Little things like the way tabs work, the way the debugger buttons are inscrutable, the way that the vertical splitting works with opening files using the C-S-n shortcut, etc are quite annoying.

TylerE 14y ago
It's redeeming quality is that the only worse UIs are every other IDE. (Expecting perhaps Visual Studio, which is not a viable option for non-MS shops)

masklinn 14y ago

> I can't tell if we're being punk'd. You just completely and utterly missed that it's a 950x570 screenshot (so essentially a stamp) during a debugging session with the visual debugger taking the bottom half of the screen.

rhizome 14y ago
What does that resolution correspond to, an Asus eee?
famousactress 14y ago
No, I caught that. I just honestly don't think what's witnessed in that screenshot would be repaired by a screen of any resolution. It's a UI/UX tragedy of a severely high order.
- masklinn 14y ago
  > It's a UI/UX tragedy of a severely high order. An editor with a project tree is a UI/UX tragedy?

ConstantineXVI 14y ago

I haven't spotted much change in the layout of the UI in between 11->12, but the new styling is definitely (IMHO) much easier on the eyes. (And 11's was still IMHO less distracting than Eclipse, period)

adolfojp 14y ago

As a person who suffers from black floaters in his eyes the black UI elements are always welcome. The elements by themselves might not be less distracting but they make my floaters a lot less distracting.

justafucker 14y ago

Actually you are able to customize almost everything. Just have a look at the screenshots below. Without toolbar and tool window bars: https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/shared/minimized_with_project_view.png?w=5b60d4e6 https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/shared/minimized_with_project... Without toolbar, tool window bars and project window: https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/shared/minimized.png?w=bea92cbd https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/shared/minimized.png?w=bea92c... Full screen: https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/shared/minimized_full_screen.png?w=2f4d626c https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/shared/minimized_full_screen....