>>>> in any case, even humble C can do that, provided a Makefile is ready.
>>>> heck, Makefiles are language-agnostic even...
>>>
>>> Makefiles only work on Unix. :-P But hey, you can write a simple script
>>> to build your project under Windows.
>>
>> WAT?
>
> To tell you the truth, I don't even /like/ Make all that much. (I think
> it's the tab characters. Or the slightly clunky way it deals with
> targets that aren't files.) I only really use it for building C, because
> it's either that or work out how to invoke the compiler manually...
>
> But as I say, a tiny amount of shell scripting will automate most tasks,
> without the need for Make.
>

If you like reinventing the wheel... ;)

>>> The /real/ problem, of course, is that you have to open a command
>>> window, CD to the right folder, and type in "make program1" or whatever.
>>> This takes significantly longer than pressing F7 (or whatever).
>>
>> Which you only have to do once... After that you only need to hit
>> ALT-TAB and the up arrow.
>
> That works great - /until/ your command history has more than one
> command in it. E.g., if you use the same window to run the compiler, run
> the main program, and control your SCM. Then you end up jabbing up-arrow
> endlessly, or executing the wrong command, or both. Very annoying.
>

You know you can open more than one command promt.

> (I wonder why nobody has yet thought of making an editor where you can
> add buttons to the toolbar and kind arbitrary commands to them? You
> could even give them keyboard shortcuts...)
>

Dare I say it?  Oh... sure... why not...

Emacs does it.  ;)

Notepad++ too.

>> Starting notepad++ and a command prompt take significantly less time
>> than starting any IDE.
>
> Depends on the IDE. Some are slower than others. I do take your point
> though - some of them do take an absurd amount of time to start. Then
> again, "you only do that once". :-P
>
>>> Sure, once you take your hands off the keyboard and onto the mouse to
>>> switch from the text editor window to the command prompt window. :-P
>>>
>>
>> As mentioned previously, ALT-TAB. Much faster.
>
> And if in the middle of your coding session, you quickly switch to your
> email client to check something, next time you try to use Alt+Tab, it
> takes you to the wrong window.
>

Keep you thumb on ALT, and hit TAB repeatedly until you get to the right 
application.

> It sounds trivial, but it's really very, very annoying.
>
> (It becomes even more fun when what you're working on involves more
> windows. E.g., right now I'm writing some TeX, so I have my text editor
> open, my command window open, and my DVI window open. You can 100%
> guarantee that almost every time I change window I change to the wrong
> one...)

I usually have my e-mail client, corporate instant messenger app ( 
usually with a few chat windows opened), 3 or four browser windows, a 
couple Excel sheets, two VPN apps (don't ask!) and a couple other 
network monitoring apps loaded at any one time.  Mastering the ALT-TAB 
combo is much, much, much, faster than using the mouse to switch apps 
from the task bar.  Not to mention a lot cheaper than a dozen 
occupational therapy sessions due to tendinitis or carpal tunnel syndrome.

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/*   gmail.com     */}camera{orthographic location<6,1.25,-6>look_at a }

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