329 - On-The-Eating-of-Hats

Two things have happened recently that have given me cause for the aforementioned consumption of head-ware. Those that know me will know I’m quite attached to my hat and so eating it would be rather painful for me. However, I’ve been forced to do it, twice in the space of a single week:

I’ve started using Eclipse a lot, remember the Vi is great post a while back?
I really like Gmail, something which I also thought would never happen. Web-based email, I’d say, Pah! Give me a rich-client any-day!
I really like Gmail, something which I also thought would never happen. Web-based email, I’d say, Pah! Give me a rich-client any-day!

I’ll go into these more at a later date, when I’ve used them more than a week. However, for now some tidbits on why I’ve changed. First, Eclipse:

-  There is a Vi plugin which reproduces most of the features I use in Vi. Thus I can use the nice bits of Vi and the nice bits of an IDE.

-  Eclipse isn’t a normal IDE. It’s very, very flexible and allows you to do pretty much anything you want.

-  Eclipse’s Java functionality is second-to-none. It has real parse-aware error checking, rather than just being syntax-aware. This means that it finds errors that would previously only be found when you compile your code. It helps by allowing you to make sure a file will compile fine before you close it and move onto editing another file, meaning you can fix errors while you still have the code fresh in your head.

-  It has really good CVS integration, making sharing code a snap.

-  The XML plugin I’ve found, [oxygen](http://www.oxygenxml.com/), is really smart.

-  I can use Eclipse on lots of different platforms, meaning I don’t have to learn a new IDE for each platform.

-  In a similar vein, I can use Eclipse with many languages, meaning I don’t have to learn a new IDE for each language.

-  Of course, it’s open-source, which is a plus point for me.

<p>

Eclipse isn’t a normal IDE. It’s very, very flexible and allows you to do pretty much anything you want.
It has really good CVS integration, making sharing code a snap.
I can use Eclipse on lots of different platforms, meaning I don’t have to learn a new IDE for each platform.
Of course, it’s open-source, which is a plus point for me.

Gmail:

-  The <abbr title='User Interface'>UI</abbr> is Javascript on the client, which means that it is really responsive.

-  Hotkeys. The Gmail hotkeys seem to work well and consistently.

-  Minimalist <abbr title='User Interface'>UI</abbr>. The Google <abbr title='User Interface'>UI</abbr> ethos has translated well, making pages fast and easy to use.

-  Various programs to notify you of new mail have appeared, including a nice one for Firefox to [notify you of new mail](http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/doron/archives/006003.html) which I use.

<p>

Hotkeys. The Gmail hotkeys seem to work well and consistently.
Various programs to notify you of new mail have appeared, including a nice one for Firefox to notify you of new mail which I use.

All the features I’ve mentioned, both in Eclipse and Gmail, are not neccessarily new ideas. Put them together, however, and you get something that is a pleasure to use.