Posts Tagged ‘IDE’

I switched to a Macbook Pro from Dell running Windows XP late last year, which changed the way I both do and view programming. One of the biggest changes for me was which Editor to use for my development needs. I’m a Ruby on Rails and PHP programmer, so that leaves my options open to everything from a simple text editor to a full featured IDE. I’ve just recently gotten in to using TextMate (not available for PC’s) so I thought it useful to do a comparison between TextMate and AptanaStudio. But first, some history which may be applicable…

When I first started to learn programming (other than writing a dice game in Basic via the command line), I learned in Visual Studio using Visual Basic. It’s safe to say that I got very used to a full featured IDE that pretty much did everything I needed it to do. For those of you who don’t know, Visual Studio takes care of almost everything you’ll ever need. It has one of my favorite features, Intellisense, auto-complete to non-users.

When I started doing Ruby on Rails work, I gravitated to an equally robust tool available for Windows, AptanaStudio. It did everything I needed it to (and some things I didn’t). When I moved to my new Mac, I gravitated to AptanaStudio for all the same reasons. But as I continued to get used to the Unix based operating system, AptanaStudio started to slow me down, and I’d read and heard so many great things about TextMate that I gave it a try.

TextMate is a much lighter editor. In fact, it’s like TextEdit on Steroids. I immediately saw the appeal and have fully made the switch for all my development needs (PHP and Ruby). So, without further ado, here’s the bread and butter (based on Ruby on Rails development).

The Bread and Butter

AptanaStudio (with the RadRails Plugin)

What makes it great?

• It is a full featured IDE (based on Eclipse).
• Has some auto-complete.
• Does a great job of connecting your code. By Command-Clicking any method, you can follow the method to it’s source. Immensely helpful in large projects.
• When doing MVC development, you can simply switch back and forth between views, models, controllers, and helpers by clicking the M, V, C, or H buttons in the tool bar.
• It will tail your logs inside the IDE.
• You can also run script/console in the IDE as well. This is actually really helpful when you’re editing a model and need to immediately test your changes.
• It has a huge world of plugins to support Subversion and Git.
• You can also control all of your Rails local development servers from a nice interface.
• It’s free, which may just be enough for most people.

What really grinds my gears about AptanaStudio?

• It is way too slow. Sometimes it just hangs there when I open a file.
• The plugins work, for the most part. To this day, I’m still having trouble configuring it to effectively use Subversion and Git the way I want.
• While the log tailing window works well, it can also be a memory hog on the Mac version, so I’ve stopped using it at all.
• If a development server inadvertently drops, you can’t get it back using the IDE. Moreover, you can’t stop it or restart from the Bash or the Command Line. AptanaStudio will just hold on to it forever…or until you restart the IDE.

TextMate

What makes it great?

• It’s Speedy Gonzalez. Everything you do takes about a second to complete, which is nice.
• Single-click open. Click on a file in the left panel, and it opens immediately (no waiting at all).
• Infinitely configurable. If you know how to work at the Command Line, you’ll feel right at home making TextMate dance to your every whim.
• A huge community of Bundle editors contributing, and an easy way to edit and roll your own Bundles. Bundles are Plugins.
• Separation of concerns. In programming, it’s a good idea to make sure classes do one thing and one thing only. As it turns out, it’s a pretty good idea in editors as well. I had already moved away from Aptana for my script/console, script/server, and tail needs, and I like the idea that it’s not really an embedded option in TextMate.
• It’s sweet. If you like Bash or the Command Line, you’ll love working in TextMate…it feels like home.

What really grinds my gears about TextMate?

• Steep learning curve. Like I said, it’s not a full-fledged IDE, it’s a text editor. That may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
• No auto-complete. If you don’t know your classes or API, TextMate won’t help you very much. The beauty of auto-complete is that it helps you learn your classes.
• Separation of Concerns. It’s not going to do everything for you, and that may chap some user’s hides.
• It costs $53 US.

In the end, the editor or IDE a developer uses is an incredibly personal decision. It’s important for programmers to configure their IDE or editor so it works best for them. Both Aptana and TextMate give you a seemingly infinite number of configurations to make each your own. If I was still working on Windows machine, the decision would be a no brainer. Both are incredible tools for development, and you really can’t go wrong with either.

I would stick with AptanaStudio. Because I have the option of TextMate, the choice for me is clear, TextMate. If you haven’t tried TextMate, I’d download the trial and close out of AptanaStudio for the full period of the trial. You may not want to go back at the end of the 30 days. Power users will probably make the switch to TextMate without a thought (if they haven’t already).

-Chris