From: Sam Smoot <ssmoot@...>
Date: 2006-12-18T01:45:07+09:00
Subject: Re: Ruby IDE


adaworks@sbcglobal.net wrote:
> I am new to Ruby, but I have used a lot of other
> programming languages including Python, Ada, C++,
> Java, etc.
>
> I downloaded Ruby to my Windows machine and installed
> it by executing the self-install file (a .exe).   An IDE that
> came with it, FreeRide, does not seem to work at all.  The
> editor, SciTE seems pretty useless.
>
> Is there an IDE that actually works that one can use to
> develop and compile Ruby.   I am guessing there is since
> so many people are using it.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Richard Riehle

Some more IDEs for Windows are: ArachnoRuby, Komodo, Eclipse with Ruby
Development Tools, Visual Studio with Ruby In Steel, RadRails (Eclipse
based, Rails focused).

There seems to be some confusion though: You don't compile Ruby. The
Ruby interpreter executes your source code directly. So other than
syntax checking, integrated help, and syntax highlighting, an IDE
doesn't buy you much. Fortunately, you have "ri" (command-line tool),
"fxri" (GUI version of "ri"), the Firefox Ruby Sidebar, ruby-doc.org,
gem_server (command-line tool to start a local-webserver to view the
RDocs for installed gems), for help (and that's just the shortlist).

Don't forget the power of just dropping into irb and typing:
(MyClass.methods - Object.methods).sort

I use that form of "help" more than anything else these days.

Syntax highlighting is a must IMO, but the UltraEdit syntax snippet is
good enough for me.

Frankly, I recommend _against_ an IDE for Ruby. It's not because there
aren't good ones either. After a bit of adjustment Komodo is a pretty
polished package. ArachnoRuby is great too, though I think it may be a
"dead" project, and has a few quirks. But I don't use class-browsers,
integrated unit-testing suites, etc. There's a command-line equivilent
for each of those with Ruby, and they're a lot more convenient than
learning 5 different ways for 5 different IDEs. So for me at least, I
appreciate the speed dropping a file into UltraEdit, making a quick
change, and saving gives me. I can go through that whole cycle in a
fraction of the time it takes Visual Studio 2005 + Resharper to load on
my work computer...