From: Chad Perrin <code@...>
Date: 2011-04-14T04:53:22+09:00
Subject: Re: Ruby for beginners (was: Re: Hello)

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On Thu, Apr 14, 2011 at 02:27:33AM +0900, Josh Cheek wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 13, 2011 at 11:14 AM, Jim Maher <jdmaher@jdmaher.com> wrote:
> >=20
> > 2.  How to use Notepad as a program editor
>
> Can Notepad do syntax highlighting? I think their editor / IDE should
> be able to at least highlight code and if it could also run Ruby, that
> would be fantastic. I really liked SciTE. It highlighted the code, it
> had lines indicating starting and closing of indentation (newbies need
> encouragement to format their code well), and you could run it by
> pressing f5. I think it is good to give them something simple enough to
> understand, yet something clearly uniquely tailored to writing code (it
> is simply "cooler", which makes it more motivating and helps to create
> an experience).

It used to be the case that the standard Ruby installer for MS Windows
came with SciTE.  Is that still the case?  I do have a current install of
Ruby on Win7, but I fire up the Great White Satan so rarely that I don't
even remember what was installed with it.

Anyway . . . if installing a separate editor is necessary to get syntax
highlighting for the Absolute Noob, I vote "no".  Get 'em up and running
with what's already on the computer -- or, more to the point, point a
finger in the direction of what should already be on the computer,
ensuring that the new user will not open something like MS Word that will
actively hinder writing code, and let the new user choose some other
editor if (s)he is savvy enough to be aware of text editors.  If editors
outside of what should already be on the computer by default are
mentioned at all, it should be in a footnote.

--=20
Chad Perrin [ original content licensed OWL: http://owl.apotheon.org ]

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