IDE Rant

I just thought I'd share some of my opinions on what I don't like about IDEs.  Food for thought anyway.

IDEs:

1. Coerce developers to use a specific IDE on a per-project basis based on the preferences of the project maintainer.  In the case of open source projects, it's annoying using a different environment for each project or even language.
2. Lock a project into the IDE because the build system is tied into it (like using visual studio instead of using the command line). 
3. Make finding resources more difficult unless you prescribe to their same IDE religion.  Tutorials become "click here, check there" instead of more versatile text configurations, like linux historically does.
4. Can be used as a crutch be some developers.  I knew a guy who if the "intelliscence" or code completion didn't prompt him, he wouldn't look up the actual code and documentation.  Also, I remember he made a bug because he incorrectly assumed something from the method name and hadn't looked at the actual class it was coming from.
5. Non-native feel.  Typically, the GUI doesn't look right compared to other applications.
6. Not always cross-platform.  Good luck finding Visual Studio on a Mac or Linux without running a windows VM. 
7. "Fixes" things without telling you, like Word does.  While you can disable auto-correction (which I do), it's annoying when the IDE introduces mistakes because it tries to anticipate what you meant.  It's the same problem IE has had, where their javascript and dom interpreters over the years try to be dummy proof by assuming some dumb things.
8. Can cause discrepancies between what you see and what you get.  For example, the drag and drop in visual studio can, without warning, have the visually generated code be disconnected from code you have tweaked and there is no easy way to get the GUI to match again short of reverting.  There are also cases where the GUI looks configured the same, but since you can't see under the hood, you can't see what is wrong as easily.  You can diff config files, but you can't usually diff checkboxes and GUI setups.
9. Are bloated.  I hate feeling like my laptop is crushed under the load of an IDE.  Geany, which is what i use, has been on all day and is currently only using 20.1 MB.

Anyway, that's just my opinion, but of course you are free to like and use your preferred IDEs, I just don't want one forced on me .  Don't let me force you not to use an IDE either though ;-) Personally, I haven't used an IDE full-time for at least 4 years, and I don't miss it much.  That said, people have suggested I get into vi since it is light weight, more universal, and portable as it's accessible over ssh, but I still prefer something a bit more graphical.

Problem with Neighbors

(We've since moved, but here is an interesting story from where we used to live.)

She has been a continuous source of grief to us since we moved in.

There may be dog poop on our shingles by now.  I am also curious if there is anything we can do.  I'm not sure if she is renting or owns the unit.

Last Sunday morning at 4:30AM, we had a surprise visit from one of our neighbors:


It appears the dog escaped by breaking a hole in the screen of an open window.  Conveniently, the owners weren't home until 8 AM that morning, so we had to call the police since we didn't want the dog to be hurt.



The police chased the dog into our window and ran around our home trying to get a leash on it.  The dog jumped on our couch, ran through our kitchen and dining room, traumatized our cats, even left a little poo on a rug before they managed to catch it.

Today, the dog was left on their deck, unattended and tied up, barking all day in discomfort from the heat.  Another neighbor (not us), called dispatch and Animal Services came.

If this were the only problems we've had with this neighbor, I would refrain from complaining.  She was pouring something on her driveway that smelled like gasoline the other day, she regularly leaves cigarettes in our garden.  Conspicuously near the most recent cigarette was dog poop buried in our garden.

She locks her kid out of his home regularly, and he climbs across two decks to get to his so he can use the back door.  Our Air Conditioner has been bent and a slat of the wood has been pulled out.

The police are there regularly, maybe once every other month.  This isn't even counting the time the police showed up at our door 4AM asking if someone nearby had stiffed a cab driver by the name of a friend of hers.

Then there is the smell of cigarettes, people leaning against our car and hanging out in our front yard, leaving their junk (bikes, broken wood from a fence somewhere) in our driveway and grass, constant barking, unattended dog in the front yard with a cable tying it to the lawn, other noise disturbances in the middle of the night, etc.