>> OK, so apart from syntax hilighting, what does an IDE actually do?
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Visual_Studio#Features

...so an IDE is a text editor, debugger, profiler, UI painter, VC 
interface and doc-gen tool, except that it's one program instead of several?

> They may not need an IDE to code, or perhaps to debug. But an IDE does 
> more than just the code. Hence the "integrated" part.

Mmm, right.

> It draws forms, 
> generates code, lets you edit database schemas, lets you generate code 
> to easily access your database schema from code, runs tests, checks code 
> in and out of the repository, generates documentation, packages for 
> distribution, etc.

I've seen IDEs do some of this, but other items sound surprising to me.

For example, I've seen IDEs that can generate pages of useless 
boilerplate that you don't want at the touch of a button, but I've never 
seen an IDE that can write *useful* code for you. Certainly I've never 
seen an IDE write GUI code, and I've never seen an IDE that has any 
functionallity of any kind even slightly related to database access.

I also haven't personally seen an IDE that can handle version control - 
although it seems like an obvious and easy feature to add, so I can 
believe that one.

>> 2. Large systems require an IDE. 
> 
> The IDE in big projects does the parts that aren't code, like drawing 
> pictures of the over-all flow of data through the 15 different programs 
> that may or may not touch it between source and destination.

That sounds more like a CASE tool. (Does anybody still use those?)

I think the main contention is that certain languages (e.g. Java) are so 
verbose and require so much boilerplate code that you need an IDE to 
autogenerate some of it for you just to stay sane. The argument then 
goes that if your language doesn't suck so much that you need to write 
so much cruft in the first place, you don't need an IDE. I am not 
entirely convinced by this argument.

Every IDE I've ever used has made my job harder, not easier. Then again, 
maybe they just means that an IDE is overkill for small projects.

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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