Currently, I use Eclipse as my working
IDE. However, it took many years for me to give up the ability to program simple, quick and effective macros in Lisp. The fact that Eclipse has a Lisp plug-in is what made me finally make the switch, and I'm really glad I did.
Frankly, the ability of Eclipse to accept and use multiple plugins is what represents the real savings to me. In the late nineties, Perl had the same allure to me. While I was really good with SED and AWK, the fact that I could download a Perl "plugin" to provide that functionality, while I was programming my CGI's, is what sold me.
So, the question is, while IDEA may be a great tool with a lot of finish, is it as customizable as Eclipse? Could I use Lisp to program macros? Is there a better alternative that IDEA has that doesn't have a steep learning curve?
I'm all for trying the next, best technology (I am a techie, of course!) The thing is, I hate having to dump all of my skills every time a new tool comes out. The real genius behind Eclipse is that it allows us to keep using our skills (such as lisp or vi), while learning to implement new ones (like refactoring). If IDEA also allows this, I may download it and use it. But then, there's that whole cost thing... Free is always cheaper than not free...
