>>> Edit->Advanced->Reformat entire document
>> Wouldn't that just apply the incorrect formatting to the whole document?
> 
> It applies the formatting rules you asked it to apply.

Or rather, it applies the default formatting rules, whatever they happen 
to be for the IDE in question.

> Which would be "the" incorrect formatting?

For example, both JBuilder and VS put the opening bracket of a function 
on the same line as the function declaration, rather than on the next 
line where it belongs. They also indent everything by 8 spaces rather 
than the usual 2. And so on. (I'm not even sure *what* formatting rule 
they apply to if-statements...)

> So you're going to maintain a batch file that first compiles the code 
> needed to parse the video game animations, then the code that writes 
> them out, then runs the animations through that, then put them in the 
> right place?
> 
> Why in the world would you do that when it has already been written for 
> you?

Yeah, if your application was actually that complex, you'd probably use 
make or similar.

> It is if you're doing something small enough. But then, you can live 
> without batch files too if you never type the same command more than twice.
> 
> The advantages of an IDE over a DE is that it's integrated.

OK, fair enough.

Large numbers of people apparently think that it's just infeasible to 
write any code of any kind unless you have an IDE specifically targetted 
at the programming language you're using. But to me, it looks like an 
IDE is only really beneficial if you're actually doing something 
complex. (And, further more, it looks to me that the tipping point is 
when you start writing something more complex than any program I've ever 
attempted in my entire life - so an IDE is probably of little to no use 
to me...)

>>>>> 6) "Template" projects for a Windows app
>>>>
>>>> What does that do?
>>>
>>> Try it! Or at least google it. :-)
>>
>> A human being is far more likely to give a useful overview. 
> 
> You know what a template is in documents, right? Corporate report 
> template? Vacation time reporting template? Request for purchase of 
> networking equipment template?
> 
> Same thing, for code.

Sure. But "Windows app" template? What could possibly be in it?

It's like, you have a template for a purchase request. Or a template for 
a procedure document. But you know what you *don't* have a template for? 
A document. Because, let's face it, what would a template for "a 
document" actually contain?

Similarly, "a Windows application" could be absolutely anything. How do 
you template that?

> I want to write a game. I want to write a windows service. I want to 
> write a new type for a SQL database engine.  I want to build a web 
> application.

Maybe it's because I've never written any of these things, but I can't 
imagine what (for example) two games would have in common. (And hence, 
what you'd put into a template.)

>> I'll just spend an hour not being able to figure out what it's 
>> supposed to be for.
> 
> That's because you never practice the skill, so you never improve at it.

This statement is not falsifiable.

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