The visual software development environments that are so popular on Windows and the Mac are making their way to Linux. We took a look at several IDEs for programming in C/C++, Java, Perl, and Python.
In the Linux and Unix world, most developers are accustomed to a fairly standard set of command-line tools. gcc, gdb, emacs, or vi, etc. are the “one true way” to develop software. Meanwhile, the Windows and Macintosh worlds have always looked somewhat different. On those platforms, there often is no command line, and developers have become accustomed to working in a visual or Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Now that it is entering the mainstream, IDEs are becoming available for Linux as well.
An IDE is basically a collection of software development tools that are bundled together and which interoperate to make life easier for the developer. They typically provide a single interface to the following software components:
A program editor that has built-in knowledge of the syntax and structure of the programming language that you’re working in.
Support for build and project management infrastructure that is appropriate for the language and type of project you’re working on (such as Makefiles, the XML files used by Java, build tools such as ant and so on).
Integrated support for source code or version control systems such as CVS.
A compiler that’s appropriate for the language you’re working in and any support tools that it requires (linkers, loaders and so on).
A selection of support libraries, include files, classes, or jar files that are appropriate for the language and projects you’re working in.
A debugger that’s appropriate for the language you’re working in.
The beauty of…
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