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Code Bubbles — Rethinking the IDE's User Interface

Posted by timothy on from the don't-get-distracted-now dept.

kang327 writes "As Java developers we are used to the familiar file-based user interface that is used by all of the major IDEs. A team at Brown University has developed an IDE for Java called Code Bubbles that makes a fairly radical departure from current IDEs — it is based on fragments instead of files. The idea is that you can see many different pieces of code at once. Fragments can form groups, have automatic layout assistance, wrap long lines based on syntax, and exist in a virtual workspace that you can pan. A video shows reading and editing code, opening different kinds of info such as Javadocs, bug reports and notes, annotating and sharing workspaces, and debugging with bubbles. They report on several user studies that show the system increases performance for the tasks studied, and also that professional developers were enthusiastic about using it. There is also a Beta that you can sign up for."

2 of 198 comments (clear)

  1. What HR Wants... by sycodon · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wanted:
    Java developer with 40 years experience in Code Bubbling concepts.
    5 years experience with the Code Bubble IDE.

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    When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
  2. Shakespeare said it by Megahard · · Score: 5, Funny

    Beware the IDEs of March

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    I eat only the real part of complex carbohydrates.