entry.md

Why do I hate IDEs

Lets start by taking off of the discussion some important things:

• Using an IDE and taking advantage of what it has to offer doesn't mean you're a bad programmer, and using a good text editor doesn't mean you're a good one.
• Using an IDE can make you a bad programmer.
• Depending on an IDE means your a bad programmer.

I think a lot of people will agree with this, so lets move on.

I'll keep updating this list in the future, if you have something you'd like to be added please let me know.

So what is wrong with IDEs then?

• Extra layer of issues and bugs

  • Does the developing server doesn't run? Chances are it's the IDE fault, not your code.
  • The code doesn't compile? Well, your code is OK, the IDE doesn't know shit about the libraries, or maybe some nasty configuration is needed.

• Don't mess up with my files!

• Don't mess up with my version control system!

• Lots of very basic and common operations require a mouse click.

• Documentation for libraries interfaces becomes optional if the IDE has button for doing it.

  • When I want to use a library I want documentation!, don't just tell me "click there and it will automatically work".

• Stop wasting my pixels!

  • The code! I want the code to be the main thing in my screen, not a tiny spot in the center.

• (IDEs are bad programming languages enablers.)[https://dzone.com/articles/ide-bad-programming-language]

• Editor! Please! A good editor!!! I work with text!

  • Don't force me to use the mouse.
  • Syntax checking, completion,etc. All of that is nice, but the editor is still the most important part.

• Don't use the mouse!

  • Code is text, I want to keep my hands in the keyboard.
  • Programming is already a very mental exhausting task, why make it a phisical exausting task too?
  • Moving your hand from the keyboard to the mouse thousands of times to reach some stupid buttons in a GUI or to acomplish text editing because the IDE's editor sucks is just plain stupid.

• Give me my resources back! I want all that memory and CPU for the compilation, not for the code editing!

• It should be programmable or die, if you don't have something you would like to have, or you have an idea to improve your work flow you should be able to just implement it! (Emacs, Vim, Sublime and Atom are good examples).

• Combine small, well written specialized tools following the UNIX philosophy, don't put everything in one gigantic and horrible heap of crap.

• How on earth is possible for a library to work on an IDE but not in another? It's already stupid and bad enough for it to be compiler dependent in some cases, but IDE dependent? You got to be fucking kidding me! [Citation Needed: This happens to me once with some graphical libraries for C, will describe it here as soon as I can remember and recreate the issue].

• Can you please stop dropping pop ups and hints to me so I can see the freaking code?

• Fast, simple and automatic is one thing; Treating the programmer as a retarded is another.

• Let me compile without the IDE!

  • Some IDEs tend to be greedy and compiling outside of the IDE becomes nearly impossible.

• If it takes more than 1 second to load, it's stupid.

• One tool for all the jobs You don't use an IDE for system configuration files, daemons configuration files, shell scripts or anything of that nature don't you? So... Master a good editor is a must.

• If the IDE knows more than you, you're a moron!. Programmers don't like magic.

• Automation is good!, but if you have to use an IDE to implement a SOAP web service in a freaking JSF application because there is no other way in which you don't have to go through a traumatic process, then you are under lots of shit.

• If you can't do something without an IDE, your language sucks, you suck, or both.

Of course not every IDE has all those problems at the same time but just a subset of those. Everything can be overcome, a good IDE is still possible.