From Python to Ruby, PHP and more, web apps are the future and we all know it. So I pose this question: Why aren’t we using the technology we spend so much time creating, to develop with?
Why am I using thick clients to develop thin ones? Is it really a stretch to assume that we’d have a gold standard browser based IDE by now..? The brilliant minds at Mozilla have made some headway in this direction as has the Ruby crowd with Heroku but there is nothing coming close to the functionality or slickness of an app like Textmate.
My day job requires me to work with a lot of PCs. It is the reason I own PCs at home in addition to a Mac and Linux boxes. Let’s face it: Visual Studio is for ASP.NET, Xcode/Textmate is for Mac, and Vi/Emacs is for Linux and remote logins and it seems nothing is for Javascript or CSS with the possible exception of Firebug. I don’t know about you but I’ve heard that males are particularly bad at context switching and I’m no exception. I develop web apps, why don’t I use one to develop with?
There is no doubt that the 3 biggest household names in software/tech are Google, MSFT, and Apple. MSFT/Apple have an OS and a development platform specific to each one. Google has previously stated that people will be developing web apps for Chrome OS, so will there be a forthcoming slick web app IDE then?
Sure Eclipse tries to be an IDE for all things under the sun but we all know it’s a tool for people who like beans. I know the Java community will hate me for what I’m about to say but Eclipse is going nowhere and has been for years. I have no issues with Java, I prefer C# or Python myself but I just can’t stand Eclipse. I’m not quite sure why Google felt it had to go the Java/Eclipse route with Android. With the gazillion geniuses they have working in Mountain View you’d think they could’ve done better.
With the exception of pushing the Eclipse/Java stuff on Android devs, Google really does understand what it takes to make an incredibly intuitive UI using standard browser based technologies. No doubt Google could make a killer app in this arena. Their IDE could have support for all the major web server languages like PHP, Python, Lisp, Ruby, etc.. and can hopefully even help us out client side with Javascript/CSS, my least favorite part of web development. Only Firebug has eased my pain in that department.
Most of the world knows Google for search, gmail, and maps but devs know it for so much more. Google has an incredible reputation and built up goodwill in the development community so a Google IDE would be welcomed with open arms. Shouldn’t Google put all that goodwill to better use?
MSFT owns business VPs and CEOs but Google can own the hearts and minds of developers and IT worldwide. It’s been a strategy they seem to be embracing with Google Apps. Such a strategy could obviously be furthered by the introduction of an IDE.
While progress has been made on the idea of browser based IDEs, there is nothing that stands out. In other words, there is no Textmate or Visual Studio of browser based IDEs. However, with a company like Google backing such a product, there just might be. It’s time for another Google killer app with the same magnitude as Gmail or Maps. So please Google get Paul Buchheit on it and let’s get us a friggin sweet IDE already!!
That’s a wrap.
I was thinking precisely the same thing – why am I using a thick client to code Google App Engine / Web Toolkit web apps.