From:	"John M. Aldrich" <fighteer AT cs DOT com>
Newsgroups:	comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject:	Re: Why use RHIDE?
Date:	Fri, 14 Feb 1997 23:33:49 -0800
Organization:	Two pounds of chaos and a pinch of salt
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Message-ID:	<330566DD.930@cs.com>
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To:	djgpp AT delorie DOT com
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Alan Wilson wrote:
> 
> Can someone tell me why people use RHIDE?
> 
> As I understand, DJGPP can be used as a stand alone product.  It can be used
> to write code and compile it all by itself.  What advantages does a program
> like RHIDE or EMACS give the programmer.  Does it make it easier to write
> code? Or is it just a matter of personal preference???

The use of a development environment gives a programmer powerful tools
to write and debug code that would otherwise take more time and effort
to do manually.  Here are some examples of features that both RHIDE and
Emacs have in common:

 - Multiple files open simultaneously.  Being able to switch back and
forth at will between all the files in a large project is invaluable.
 - Split screen file viewing.  For comparisons, rewriting, etc.
 - Color syntax highlighting.  This is useful for finding miscellaneous
typographical errors, but mostly just makes your program _look_ better.
 - Automatic indentation.  Besides saving time and effort,
auto-indentation can be a lifesaver when building complex nested
structures.
 - Automatic parentheses matching.  Detects mismatched parentheses,
braces, and brackets.
 - Online documentation lookup.  The usefulness of this is obvious.
 - Context-sensitive help.  Ditto.
 - Automatic compilation.  Saves typing, and you don't have to remember
all those comands!
 - Error message parsing.  Just click on an error to go to the relevant
line in your code.

Each editor also has numerous unique features, too many to list here.

I used to do all my coding using nothing more than DOS Edit.  Certainly,
this is a perfectly good editor, but now that I have used Emacs
extensively I just can't live without it.  It just has too many useful
features to ignore.  :)

For similar reasons, many people use RHIDE because it reminds them of
the feel of the Turbo C IDE, a very popular programming interface. 
RHIDE essentially provides a user-friendly interface between the program
and the compiler.  It also incorporates interactive debugging, makefile
generation, and more.

-- 
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| John M. Aldrich, aka Fighteer I |        fighteer AT cs DOT com          |
| Proud owner of what might one   |   http://www.cs.com/fighteer    |
| day be a spectacular MUD...     | Plan: To make Bill Gates suffer |
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