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Best/Favorite C++ IDE

Started by Matt Keehner, 2007-11-27T13:22:55-06:00 (Tuesday)

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Matt Keehner

I'm a first year CS major and for my classes we're using Visual Studio 2005, which is fine on my desktop because I'm running XP.  However I just got this brand new laptop and I'm currently running Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon.  I'm looking for a solid C++ IDE to use for my classes.  I'm using GNOME, so I'm not sure how hard it would be to use KDevelop.  I'm still pretty new to this Linux business.  I've been reading and there are people that seem to favor Eclipse, Anjuta, or Geany.  If anyone has any recommendations on this, please let me know.  Thanks!

-Matt   :pirate:

Gregory Bartholomew

I use vIm (it's Improved you know :lol:)
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William Grim

On Linux, the best IDE for C or C++ development is emacs.  Vim works, but it's not an IDE.  Whatever you do, steer clear of KDevelop unless you want a mess of bloated files and lots of overhead I don't even see large projects using.
William Grim
IT Associate, Morgan Stanley

Justin Camerer

i use vim all the time and i absolutely love it, but i wouldnt suggest using it unless you are very familiar with the language. i have only used a tiny bit, and i disliked it overall, but it did have some very nice features that could be helpful when just starting out. i am by no means saying i am too advanced to use something like eclipse, just that i am set in my ways and eclipse didnt have the features i wanted, and had a million features i didnt (similar to visual studio).

i hope this rambling helps a bit.
Justin Camerer
Do yo' chain hang low?

Gregory Bartholomew

Just what does "Integrated" in Integrated Development Evironment (IDE) mean anyway? VIM does integrate with the gcc to some degree if you know the right flags to set (or look them up somewhere online). VIM will show the error's in a "window" underneath your development window and it will even make the development window jump focus to the line causing the error when you put your cursor (the console one, not the mouse cursor) over the displayed error. Is this feature enough to classify VIM as an IDE?

As for EMACS, I just never learned it. I was turned off by it initially when I found that the right key combination will start it playing a tetris game. Also, the default and even the most bear minimum installations of any flavor of Linux or Unix will always have vi installed. As a systems administrator, I needed to know vim so that I could configure a system even if no other editors were available. Whichever you learn first VIM or EMACS will probably be the one that you are stuck with for the rest of your life (because after going through all the hastle of learning one, it is very unlikely that you will be willing to learn another) so, like that old guy in Indiana Jones said, "choose wisely".
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Bryan

When I was learning the Unix/Linux environment I started with Pico.  It's very handy for the "wtf am I doing?" crowd.  The commands are listed at the bottom.  I started learning VIM after I got more comfortable with the entire environment. Vim is a more powerful version of a text editor.  Some would argue that it's "more than a text editor", but I maintain that it's entire purpose is editing text files.

I never really used many of the IDE's popular in Linux.  As Mike said Kdevelop just seemed like bloatware.  Emacs was so feature rich that it's overall learning curve was too much. These two packages both embody the concept of "IDE" the best.  They are one stop shops for all things development.  Hell you can even launch Emacs built in web browser to search for help! 

In the end, VIM was more than enough.  There were some features that would have made my life easier, but in the end it did what I needed it to do.
Bryan Grubaugh
Quickly aging alumni with too much time on his hands
Business Systems Analyst, Scripps Networks.