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Best "Visual Studio" Alternative On Linux

Posted by timothy on from the sidestepping-the-inevitable-embrace dept.

Microsoft ISV writes: "We are beginning the next major release of our product, and we have been a Microsoft ISV for many years. In a few months Microsoft will be entering our market, and we wish to hedge our bets by supporting Linux in this next new major release. Can you ask your readership what is the best 'Visual Studio' like IDE for Linux? Especially for an ISV who will be maintaining the same product on both Windows and Linux?" Or is there even such a thing?

3 of 82 comments (clear)

  1. Are you asking the right question? by Tom+Davies · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I think that you need to decide how to support a product on both Win32 and Linux before you start to worry about the IDE you'll use.

    Which languages are portable between the two (Java, Object Pascal, C++, perl,...) and do they suit your application (you need to tell us that too -- is it a desktop app, web based ...)

    If you need a UI, how will you do that? (Swing, QT, Tk...)

    Then you can look for the best IDE's for Win32 and Linux for the environment you have chosen.

    If it turns out to be vi and make for GNU/Linux, that's OK, as long as the combination of language and UI toolkit you've chosen is otherwise portable.

    Tom

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  2. Go with Delphi/Kylix by mikera · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If you haven't tried them already, I would seriously check out the Delphi/Kylix combination. The IDE and the Visual Development tools in particular are IMO a class apart from Visual Studio, and certainly far superior to any of the free tools available. Not to knock the others, but Borland know how to make development tools like nobody else.

    Also the fact that you get sub-second compiles for large projects is rather sweet :-)

    Code that you produce with the Borland CLX toolkit should be portable across Linux and Windows. Also, the forthcoming iterations of C++ Builder (essentially Delphi for C++) will be Delphi/Kylix compatible as well. For obvious reasons, Borland have always stayed very Microsoft-compatible and support for things like COM objects, creating DLLs and linking with C/C++ etc. is very good.

    The fact that Delphi/Kylix use Object Pascal is frequently raised as an objection which I appreciate may be a concern. However, Object Pascal is a very powerful Pascal derivative that is easy to learn and any competent coder should have no trouble making the transition. I find that I code better in Object Pascal if only because the compiler is much more smart at picking up dubious code.

    Even if you don't eventually use Kylix, I would strongly suggest downloading the free Open Edition just to give it a test drive. It's quite an experience that may change your views on how development ought to be done.....

  3. Re:vi - was: Re:look out people who use ISV answer by BlackSol · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The beauty of VI is your hands never leave the key board, and you never have to hit 2 keys at once (except maybe shift).

    Plus you then add in the power of regular expresion matching and you begin to see the value of vi.

    Once practiced in VI you can very rapidly make changes.

    Eg Windows Notepad to delete a line:
    "HOME" - "SHIFT" and "END" then "Delete"
    in VI
    "ESC"-"d"-"d"

    note that in Notepad you must move your right hand off the keyboard to get to the home,end, and delete keys. Where as VI your hands never leave typing position.

    Now add delete two lines:
    Notepad: add a down arrow after the delete
    vi: add a 2 before the first d.

    I really recommend visiting a VI tutorial such as http://www.eng.hawaii.edu/Tutor/vi.html.

    And Yes I use WinVi when I have to use Windows :)

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