Will using an IDE with Rails hinder me?

Question

I'm new to Ruby on Rails and so far, I'm having a lot of fun learning it. Coming from the .NET world, it's been quite a switch as my IDE (Visual Studio 2008) sort of handles everything for me, while in Rails everything has been done via multiple applications (Terminal, TextMate, etc).

I've started taking a closer look at RubyMine as an IDE for Rails development, and as a big fan of IDEA and ReSharper, I naturally like RubyMine. It has code-completion, built-in support for RSpec, SVN integration, and so on. However, since the IDE handles so much of the "Rails experience," I wonder if should stick with the TextMate+Terminal approach.

Is a Ruby/Rails IDE like RubyMine going to hinder me?

Answer 1

Disclaimer: I have only used ruby for a very short period of time. But I do believe that my experience as a .NET developer learning other languages is valuable to you.

I'm going to disagree with most people here and say go with the IDE. An IDE is there to make your life easier, not harder. I know that coming from a .NET background autocompletion is how I learn languages. I don't read documentation. I see what my IDE suggests and I see what it does.

I really wouldn't worry too much about not knowing the full details of what goes on on the background, you will figure it out when you need to. In the meantime you will have quite enough to be getting on with learning the ins and outs of the language. You need all the help you can get, if you have written .NET in the past then an IDE will be an enourmous help.

Answer 2

I would use the basics to start (terminal and a simple text editor) until you really get a good understanding of Ruby on Rails. Then once you have that basic underlying knowledge of the framework move to an IDE.

In my opinion if you want to learn use the terminal and an editor, but if you want to be productive use an IDE.

At home I use the basic setup since I am in the process of learning Ruby on Rails. However, at work, where I am a Java developer, I use an IDE. Using the IDE allows me not worry about the small tedious tasks and just worry about programming. Having tools like auto-completion, integrated svn, and integrated debugging tools increases my productivity.

[edit] Also, I don't think the particular IDE matters. They all have the similar functionality. Whatever your the most comfortable with is the best.

Answer 3

Try Netbeans Ruby Edition. It's not quite as nice as RubyMine but it has built-in svn support and similar templates to TextMate. I like it, but then again, I also haven't released the project I'm developing yet so I can't speak much to productivity.

Answer 4

Just remember that the open source world is about choice, so there are tons of IDEs. A popular one is Eclipse that should include rails development as a plugin (and they are very simple to install). Netbeans also supports rails IIRC.

Maybe it is time to get down and dirty with basic component tools, and then find an IDE. I always find when starting a new language that it helps to understand the raw toolchain and how things work before automating.

Personally, unless it is Java development (convoluted in itself) I stay away from traditional IDES and use a modular solution of Vim/Gedit/Makefiles and other automations.

GEdit on Linux/Gnome is a great compromise. You have a basic text-editor with syntax highlighting and a terminal embedded. Then you can add in plugins for auto-completion and class browsing if you want that.

Good Luck