IDE Divide
Are you a language-oriented programmer or a tool-oriented programmer? That’s the distinction that this post raises.
I don’t think it matters which side you lean toward. What matters is whether you know when and how to leverage the other perspective when necessary.
For example, I am not a strong web interface builder. (I can design them, but putting in the time with HTML, CSS, and Photoshop is not my cup of tea.) So for my latest project I am going to use the Google Web Toolkit (GWT) to build the front-end. This move goes against my strongly language-oriented grain.
I figure that if the project launches and subsequently draws a user-base that justifies more than one developer, then it will someone else’s job to get every last erg of good out of the front-end code. I just don’t have the competency in that are of development to do an exemplary job. I’m not ashamed to admit this and use a great tool to make up for my weakness.
