layout: post title: Should I learn Eclipse, Xcode, or...something else? created: 1164304985 categories:

• Eclipse
• Xcode
• IDE
• Komodo
• ActiveState
• SVN
• CVS
• svnX
• Smultron
• Vancouver
• Drupal
• PHP
• Web Development

I'm trying to find some time to setup a development environment locally again, and I want to invest in learning an IDE. Most of the folks I know use something like emacs or TextMate to code, but I'd love a little more of an environment. Also, I'm still trying to find more bits and pieces that together form a set of best practices for developing, deploying, and maintaining Drupal.

Initially I was thinking about learning Eclipse, except I've heard that it's PHP support isn't the greatest. Looks like the PHP IDE isn't going to be 1.0 until June 2007. But then again, IBM's Drupal tutorial also explained using Eclipse.

Xcode is Apple's own tool, and there are some guides on using it for PHP.

Then there's Komodo, made by Vancouver's very own ActiveState. 

I want to learn an IDE that has support for multiple languages, so editors purely focused on PHP are out. 

Integration directly with CVS / SVN is a nice to have. svnX works for me as a GUI.

Aside: I was using SubEthaEdit as my text editor / quick notes entry until recently (using Spotlight and / or pasting into an online wiki later). Now it's no longer free at all, and I don't use the group editing feature enough to make it worthwhile. Enter Smultron -- it even has a nice one-window view, which is much better than the 10 text documents I used to have floating around.