Skip to content
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • World
  • Users
  • Groups
Skins
  • Light
  • Cerulean
  • Cosmo
  • Flatly
  • Journal
  • Litera
  • Lumen
  • Lux
  • Materia
  • Minty
  • Morph
  • Pulse
  • Sandstone
  • Simplex
  • Sketchy
  • Spacelab
  • United
  • Yeti
  • Zephyr
  • Dark
  • Cyborg
  • Darkly
  • Quartz
  • Slate
  • Solar
  • Superhero
  • Vapor

  • Default (No Skin)
  • No Skin
Collapse
Code Project
  1. Home
  2. The Lounge
  3. Learning a language using an IDE or text editor.

Learning a language using an IDE or text editor.

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved The Lounge
visual-studioquestioncomooplearning
57 Posts 41 Posters 0 Views 1 Watching
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as topic
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
  • C Corporal Agarn

    Yes but you could read the holes and it made good confetti. Just don't drop the tray. :-D

    OriginalGriffO Offline
    OriginalGriffO Offline
    OriginalGriff
    wrote on last edited by
    #18

    djj55 wrote:

    it made good confetti

    Dropped bits! :laugh:

    Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)

    "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
    "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • E Ennis Ray Lynch Jr

      Sure I use an IDE everyday. But when I learned, the ability to look things up, read the instructions, search the web, and think out my problem without typing were invaluable. I suppose the difference is will you be a technician or a master? Ignoring the pro's and con's of an IDE it is fundamentally a tool for facilitating writing code not for learning to write the code. If you learn to program you will never know why the below code is wrong:

      Int32.Parse(Session["someInteger"].ToString());

      Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. "And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs" -- Robert Frost "All users always want Excel" --Ennis Lynch

      OriginalGriffO Offline
      OriginalGriffO Offline
      OriginalGriff
      wrote on last edited by
      #19

      ...when clearly it should be Int64.Parse... ;)

      Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)

      "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
      "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

      1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • E Ennis Ray Lynch Jr

        Sure I use an IDE everyday. But when I learned, the ability to look things up, read the instructions, search the web, and think out my problem without typing were invaluable. I suppose the difference is will you be a technician or a master? Ignoring the pro's and con's of an IDE it is fundamentally a tool for facilitating writing code not for learning to write the code. If you learn to program you will never know why the below code is wrong:

        Int32.Parse(Session["someInteger"].ToString());

        Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. "And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs" -- Robert Frost "All users always want Excel" --Ennis Lynch

        T Offline
        T Offline
        TheGreatAndPowerfulOz
        wrote on last edited by
        #20

        :rolleyes:

        If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.-John Q. Adams
        You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering.-Wernher von Braun
        Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.-Albert Einstein

        1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • D dan sh

          How old were you when Yoda was born?

          OriginalGriffO Offline
          OriginalGriffO Offline
          OriginalGriff
          wrote on last edited by
          #21

          Yoda was born? Wow. I can't imagine him young... :laugh:

          Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)

          "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
          "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

            Well, technically I didn't start with text editors: it was punched cards, which were like text editors with bad attitude and no "backspace" key... :laugh:

            Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)

            N Offline
            N Offline
            Nagy Vilmos
            wrote on last edited by
            #22

            Like you, the first sort algorithm I learnt was the floor sort. :sigh:

            OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • E Ennis Ray Lynch Jr

              Sure I use an IDE everyday. But when I learned, the ability to look things up, read the instructions, search the web, and think out my problem without typing were invaluable. I suppose the difference is will you be a technician or a master? Ignoring the pro's and con's of an IDE it is fundamentally a tool for facilitating writing code not for learning to write the code. If you learn to program you will never know why the below code is wrong:

              Int32.Parse(Session["someInteger"].ToString());

              Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. "And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs" -- Robert Frost "All users always want Excel" --Ennis Lynch

              Richard DeemingR Offline
              Richard DeemingR Offline
              Richard Deeming
              wrote on last edited by
              #23

              Hmmm, let's see:

              • Session could be null if session state is disabled for the application or the request;
              • Session["someInteger"] could be null if the session's timed out (or you've misspelled the key);
              • If you stored an Int32 in Session["someInteger"], drop the .ToString / .Parse and just unbox the value;
              • If you didn't store an Int32 in Session["someInteger"] (why the elephant not?!) then Int32.Parse could throw a FormatException or an OverflowException;
              • Even if you did store an Int32 in Session["someInteger"], the current culture settings might* prevent Int32.Parse from correctly parsing the result of the .ToString() call;
              • If you're not already doing it, this should be hidden behind a façade class;

              Did I miss any? :) * I don't know for certain whether there are any culture settings that could do this, but since I don't know for certain that there aren't, it's safest to assume there are.


              "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

              "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined" - Homer

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                vi was a good editor: loads better than the DOS "equivalent" Edlin[^] which was like punched cards, but with backspace.

                Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)

                J Offline
                J Offline
                jeron1
                wrote on last edited by
                #24

                Sadly, I have used edlin. Thankfully though, not for many years,

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • O Obi_Hendrix

                  Hi, I'm very new to object oriented programming. Having just read Text editor Vs IDE[^] do folks think from the start it would be better to learn using a text editor rather than an IDE (Honest question...don't want to start any arguments :) )?

                  M Offline
                  M Offline
                  mikepwilson
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #25

                  "Depends" :-) #include Depends how you learn. An IDE can help you along by getting you up and running faster. So if you're going to get discouraged by not having results quick, then I'd say use an IDE that will help you along and get you to a project that will run quickly. Then tinker with it from there. The problem a lot of IDEs have is that they frequently put boilerplate code in for you. Sometimes that's good, sometimes it's bad as it may give you a false sense of what's really required and what is really going on. A text editor on the other hand demands you really "start from scratch." You have to navigate configuration of the tool chain (compilers, linkers, library paths, build options, etc.) BUT you get the satisfaction of knowing that if you didn't write it, it ain't in there. Personally I'd much rather WORK with a text editor (I've no doubt my .emacs file is older than most people here.) But for learning a new language or platform, I like starting in an IDE with samples, then tinkering my way to enough knowledge to dispense with them entirely.

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • N Nagy Vilmos

                    Like you, the first sort algorithm I learnt was the floor sort. :sigh:

                    OriginalGriffO Offline
                    OriginalGriffO Offline
                    OriginalGriff
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #26

                    Or "Heap sort" as it was also known! :laugh:

                    Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)

                    "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                    "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                    N 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • E Ennis Ray Lynch Jr

                      Sure I use an IDE everyday. But when I learned, the ability to look things up, read the instructions, search the web, and think out my problem without typing were invaluable. I suppose the difference is will you be a technician or a master? Ignoring the pro's and con's of an IDE it is fundamentally a tool for facilitating writing code not for learning to write the code. If you learn to program you will never know why the below code is wrong:

                      Int32.Parse(Session["someInteger"].ToString());

                      Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. "And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs" -- Robert Frost "All users always want Excel" --Ennis Lynch

                      R Offline
                      R Offline
                      Ravi Bhavnani
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #27

                      Not only is it wrong (i.e. unsafe), it's not required since the value of the successfully parsed integer isn't used anywhere. ;P /ravi

                      My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • O Obi_Hendrix

                        Hi, I'm very new to object oriented programming. Having just read Text editor Vs IDE[^] do folks think from the start it would be better to learn using a text editor rather than an IDE (Honest question...don't want to start any arguments :) )?

                        P Offline
                        P Offline
                        PIEBALDconsult
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #28

                        IDE. Except that then you have to learn two things. :sigh: I learned with a text editor and I still prefer that for writing actual code -- but not when a drag-and-drop designer is required. And IDEs tend to have a debugger as well. Back in college everyone (even me) preferred to use Turbo Pascal's IDE (on a 386 PC clone) rather than use VAX Pascal with a VT100. However you shouldn't get to point where you don't think you could possibly write a simple console app in a text editor and compile it on the command line. Learn it with an IDE by all means, but come play on the fun side once in a while. :cool:

                        This space intentionally left blank.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • O Obi_Hendrix

                          Hi, I'm very new to object oriented programming. Having just read Text editor Vs IDE[^] do folks think from the start it would be better to learn using a text editor rather than an IDE (Honest question...don't want to start any arguments :) )?

                          M Offline
                          M Offline
                          Maximilien
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #29

                          The IDE will mostly help learn the API syntax, but not the language itself.

                          I'd rather be phishing!

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                            Or "Heap sort" as it was also known! :laugh:

                            Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)

                            N Offline
                            N Offline
                            Nagy Vilmos
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #30

                            Hee hee. At college we used punched cards, because the lecturer was a b'tard, for machine code projects. By the time I started working the world had moved on to mag tapes and 'washing machine' removable disk platters. Thems was the days. :nostalgicSigh:

                            G 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                              IDE - no contest. It helps you at every turn: it prompts you with method names and properties, it helps remind you of function parameters, and it tells you when you misspell something as you go along. It handles indentation, and it works exactly the same when debugging as it does when you are editing. Ignore the purists: I started with text editors and I wouldn't go back!

                              Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)

                              Mike HankeyM Offline
                              Mike HankeyM Offline
                              Mike Hankey
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #31

                              OriginalGriff wrote:

                              It helps you at every turn: it prompts you with method names and properties, it helps remind you of function parameters, and it tells you when you misspell something as you go along. It handles indentation, and it works exactly the same when debugging as it does when you are editing.

                              When they're in a cooperative mood otherwise it's; crash, design editor problems, gets hung in a, what I like to call PMS mode, etc. otherwise it's great. :)

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • O Obi_Hendrix

                                Hi, I'm very new to object oriented programming. Having just read Text editor Vs IDE[^] do folks think from the start it would be better to learn using a text editor rather than an IDE (Honest question...don't want to start any arguments :) )?

                                M Offline
                                M Offline
                                Madhava Verma Dantuluri
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #32

                                IDE helps to save the time and brings you all at your perusal. However for a beginner, i wont recommend IDE.

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • O Obi_Hendrix

                                  Hi, I'm very new to object oriented programming. Having just read Text editor Vs IDE[^] do folks think from the start it would be better to learn using a text editor rather than an IDE (Honest question...don't want to start any arguments :) )?

                                  T Offline
                                  T Offline
                                  thatraja
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #33

                                  For HTML, still I prefer Notepad. Hand coding!

                                  thatraja

                                  Code converters | Education Needed No thanks, I am all stocked up. - Luc Pattyn When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is - Henry Minute

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • O Obi_Hendrix

                                    Hi, I'm very new to object oriented programming. Having just read Text editor Vs IDE[^] do folks think from the start it would be better to learn using a text editor rather than an IDE (Honest question...don't want to start any arguments :) )?

                                    R Offline
                                    R Offline
                                    R Erasmus
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #34

                                    IDE will maybe help you along the way but will also make your life difficult along the way. It does a lot of things for you, and it is good to know those things it does. With a text editor, you have to do those things yourself, thus you learn more. IDEs is not supported by all platforms so if the day arrives that you have to develop on a platform which doesn't support an IDE you'll be struggling coz you've been using a IDE. Personally if I was you, I'd start off using text editor and later move to IDE. You get some kick ass text editors these days which can do exactly what IDEs can do.

                                    "Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence." << please vote!! >>

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                                      IDE - no contest. It helps you at every turn: it prompts you with method names and properties, it helps remind you of function parameters, and it tells you when you misspell something as you go along. It handles indentation, and it works exactly the same when debugging as it does when you are editing. Ignore the purists: I started with text editors and I wouldn't go back!

                                      Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)

                                      pkfoxP Offline
                                      pkfoxP Offline
                                      pkfox
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #35

                                      Same here press ! To execute shell script , vi ? Vi ? Vi ?

                                      We can’t stop here, this is bat country - Hunter S Thompson RIP

                                      OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • pkfoxP pkfox

                                        Same here press ! To execute shell script , vi ? Vi ? Vi ?

                                        We can’t stop here, this is bat country - Hunter S Thompson RIP

                                        OriginalGriffO Offline
                                        OriginalGriffO Offline
                                        OriginalGriff
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #36

                                        If was always fun to realize you had typed your C code into vi and it was executing it as a command string...No! Stop! Noooooooo......

                                        Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)

                                        "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                                        "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                                        pkfoxP 1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • K Keith Barrow

                                          IDE hands down - especially when you are just starting. I mean you should, just for the experience, code apps up in using a notepad type text editor and command line compiler, be sure to use mutiliple files and include and if your chosen environment allows it build scripts. Doing this as the main way of working just strikes me as bizarre and contrarian. I worked in one place where vi was the only editor hard-core enough, funnily enough I used emacs (the only viable alternative for our environnment) as was far more productive.

                                          PB 369,783 wrote:

                                          I just find him very unlikeable, and I think the way he looks like a prettier version of his Mum is very disturbing.[^]

                                          pkfoxP Offline
                                          pkfoxP Offline
                                          pkfox
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #37

                                          I actually got pretty fast using vi for coding but it was vanilla c in those days ( shudder ) I also used WordStar for coding COBOL ( double shudder ) when intellisense first came out I didn't like it as it got in the way but would find it very difficult to live without now given the sheer size of frameworks these days. IDE 1 : Text Editor 0

                                          We can’t stop here, this is bat country - Hunter S Thompson RIP

                                          1 Reply Last reply
                                          0
                                          Reply
                                          • Reply as topic
                                          Log in to reply
                                          • Oldest to Newest
                                          • Newest to Oldest
                                          • Most Votes


                                          • Login

                                          • Don't have an account? Register

                                          • Login or register to search.
                                          • First post
                                            Last post
                                          0
                                          • Categories
                                          • Recent
                                          • Tags
                                          • Popular
                                          • World
                                          • Users
                                          • Groups