Which IDE will make me a better programmer Visual Studio or Eclipse?

johnnyMakesGames · 2013-08-19T23:14:56

I understand that these IDEs are tools. I also understand that a programmer is much more than that IDE, has to be able to solve problems, and all that. I'm not suggesting that an IDE will make someone better, though it might make the more productive. But, When you get to really understanding what's going on in your application, which will be best? I always feel like VS is insulating me way too much, but I think that is just a perception. Eclipse "feels" more, I don't know, close to the language? I am aware of Petzold's old 2005 article. I don't care much for it. If I'm not programming in C++, C, or Assembly, do Eclipse and/or Visual Studio, keep me too insulated? Are they both about the same on this note? By "better" I mean understand more about what's really going on under the hood. Then again, how far can that go? Do I have to write a compiler in C to feel like a real programmers? Mine my own ore to build the PC? Get silicone?

GDNet Lounge Community

Started by johnnyMakesGames August 19, 2013 02:01 AM

25 comments, last by ChaosEngine 11 years, 5 months ago

tstrimp

1,798

August 19, 2013 09:53 PM

Bah! Ninja'd

frob

46,320

August 19, 2013 10:23 PM

Yup, that is standard boilerplate that is frequently misread. It means you can't package up the product and sell it as your own. For example, you cannot rebrand it as "Shippou's Visual Studio". It does not keep you from distributing products made using the tool.

Getting back to the original poster,

So they are about the same level of abstraction then? I won't be a better programmer with Eclipse (even on Windows)?

They are similar but different tools. Both tools allow you to edit code, launch tools, and debug your program.

You need more details if you want better answers. Specifically, what languages are you using, what platform are you developing on, and what platforms are you targeting?

Visual Studio can dig deeply into Windows when debugging. When editing windows-targeting binaries and Microsoft's runtime libraries. When using other languages not directly supported by Visual Studio you lose many features. (For example, you would lose "edit and continue", which is a feature that has saved millions of developer hours.) If you are developing for Windows on Windows, which is probably the most common pattern for games, then Visual Studio is the answer.

Eclipse is excellent at Java, and moderately good at other environments. The IDE is much less integrated in non-Java environments. The equivalent of VS's "edit and continue" is only available in Java if you are using Eclipse's build chain and expected build folder locations, and is not available for other languages and tool plugins. If you are developing in Java than Eclipse is probably the IDE of choice.

Dwarf King

2,130

August 19, 2013 10:24 PM

You posted a link to a forum ...

Here is directly from the end user agreement

PERSONAL AND NON-COMMERCIAL USE LIMITATION.
Unless otherwise specified, the Services are for your personal and non-commercial use. You may not modify, copy, distribute, transmit, display, perform, reproduce, publish, license, create derivative works from, transfer, or sell any information, software, products or services obtained from the Services.

Yes I did, but not any forum, Microsoft's own forum. There are plenty of the same questions over there and they all get the same answer.

"The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education"

Albert Einstein

"It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education"

Albert Einstein

ChaosEngine

5,385

August 19, 2013 10:51 PM

My opinion ?
Eclipse doesn't force you to use Micro$oft exclusive libraries when compiling ... Visual Studio forces you to include include "Redistributable" along with your compiled work.

Yeah, gotta watch that evil M$...