> OK, so apart from syntax hilighting, what does an IDE actually do?

TBH syntax highlighting is one of the least useful features of an IDE for 
me.

Things I find most useful:

1) Auto-complete with popup help
2) The debugger
3) The GUI Form designer
4) The red underlining of compiler errors as you're typing (in MS C# IDE)
5) Auto compile/link/run with one keypress
6) "Template" projects for a Windows app

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