iOS Why do computer programmers use so many text editors?

[Bubble99]

When I look on the Internet on text editors I see many kinds like this.

https://res.infoq.com/articles/apple-swift/en/resources/Im2.png

Or this

http://cdn.designbeep.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/swift-screenshot.jpg

And some have really dark themes like this.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ooHDgxYNvqLz_Oits0FA9McWZHZOZKs4apK4BntW5fR6q_0eLSn2oOAPiNbaS5aXR0RUCT19d1e_aNUhXtKOfX-SAiakrf0tj6MYVfcRk6cnT-q-iYZ-q1qOgup-W6LAyFMjsDNB

Why so many different text editors for programming?

 

[Red Menace]

Different features such as extensibility, code completion, project management, multiple file layout, etc., and personal preference. You might want to take a few deep breaths before looking at vi(m) or emacs.

 

[casperes1996]

Different features such as extensibility, code completion, project management, multiple file layout, etc., and personal preference. You might want to take a few deep breaths before looking at vi(m) or emacs.

Better yet, do not like a vim or emacs if you're new to all this, haha. Install VSCode, Xcode or a JetBrains IDE instead

 

[Bubble99]

Different features such as extensibility, code completion, project management, multiple file layout, etc., and personal preference. You might want to take a few deep breaths before looking at vi(m) or emacs.

So what is best text editor for a newbie?

 

[dukebound85]

So what is best text editor for a newbie?

text wrangler has always been good

 

[casperes1996]

So what is best text editor for a newbie?

For working with what language?

I mean, BlueJ is made as a learning tool for Java, made to visualize classes and such. It’s not a tool you’d use professionally but fun “toy” to start with.

For almost any language JetBrains will likely have a good tool. For Apple specific development I’d honestly say just get Xcode

 

[Red Menace]

I definitely would not recommend Xcode to someone new, it has a fairly steep learning curve of its own, and the download is ginormous. Most of it is also wasted if you are just wanting to use the command line or one of the scripting languages such as Ruby or Python.

For something (much) lighter weight there are a few open-source GUI text editors such as Atom or Geany. I’ve also used BBEdit longer than I care to admit - the lite version (that replaces the sunsetted TextWrangler) is free, you only need to pay a little for the advanced features.

 

[bousozoku]

I started with some inbuilt editors that came with various languages by Optimized Systems Software, when I first did 8-bit (6502) coding on the Atari 800, and SEU (Source Entry Utility) on IBM Midrange systems. I graduated to microEMACS and EMACS later.

Having the ability to copy and paste was incredible and that took a while. The key combinations were miserable to remember before GUI systems arrived. Working on a variety of 6502, 6800, 8080/Z-80 systems made things interesting.

Intelligent editors in the 1990s were a boon AND a plague.

 

[casperes1996]

I definitely would not recommend Xcode to someone new, it has a fairly steep learning curve of its own, and the download is ginormous. Most of it is also wasted if you are just wanting to use the command line or one of the scripting languages such as Ruby or Python.

For something (much) lighter weight there are a few open-source GUI text editors such as Atom or Geany. I’ve also used BBEdit longer than I care to admit - the lite version (that replaces the sunsetted TextWrangler) is free, you only need to pay a little for the advanced features.

Firstly, I would only recommend Xcode if it's for Swift and not for writing C or whatever. Though Xcode does do C I'd recommend something else. But if you want to do a GUI iOS/Mac app, Interface Builder is prettynifty

Second; I honestly don't quite get the Xcode learning curve argument. Why do you need to learn it all anyway? Just ignore 90% of what it can do and create source files and write code. Maybe it's just cause I've used it since I was like 14 but I also don't even think it's that bad with the learning curve, if you just dig into things when you need them. Doesn't seem worse than any other large editor to me

 

[Jessica Lares]

Reading his other thread, it looks like OP wants to get into iOS development and is looking at Swift.

Should be using Xcode and typing the examples into a Playground and seeing how the code gets interpreted (like in the screenshots) to start with.

 

[Bubble99]

For working with what language?

I mean, BlueJ is made as a learning tool for Java, made to visualize classes and such. It’s not a tool you’d use professionally but fun “toy” to start with.

For almost any language JetBrains will likely have a good tool. For Apple specific development I’d honestly say just get Xcode

What do you mean you need text editor for the language? Are you saying if you do Javascrip you need this text editor and if you do C or C+ you need this text editor?

 

[casperes1996]

What do you mean you need text editor for the language? Are you saying if you do Javascrip you need this text editor and if you do C or C+ you need this text editor?

Not exactly. At the core of it all a text editor just, well, edits text. You can write any code with any text editor in theory.
But different tools have different strengths, and especially if we look at full-blown IDEs like Xcode language matters. (IDE = Integrated Development Environment. Essentially it’s a text editor but also more. Debugging environment, has tools to run and analyze your code and such). Some text editors will also have code completion, syntax highlighting and refactoring tools for some languages but not other languages (though plugins and a proposed standard for language support for editors is a thing, which is how VSCode’s design works; It takes plugins for language support so can do pretty much any language fairly well)

But at the core of it all you don’t “Need” any of this extra stuff. You can just use nano, NotePad or TextEdit or whatever and get going