Projects and other stuff

Today, I had a Java quiz. It was extremely simple, assuming that I had a competent IDE to use. Eclipse? I wish that were the case; I would’ve finished the quiz in 5 minutes tops if I was using Eclipse.

Instead, I had to use this ancient, proprietary, IDE called “Code Warrior” that nobody has ever heard of and is a piece of shit. I can’t even figure out to make a new class file; it’s complicated and doesn’t even work the way that I expect it to work. Since I knew I was under pressure and didn’t have time to figure out how to use it, I simply deleted lines of my calculator program and edited in the new stuff that was relevant to the quiz. I’m all set, right? I wish it were that easy. Code Warrior does not have a compiler built in, it uses the god awful Windows “cmd prompt” that wants to be a terminal but fails so hard. Error highlighting, right? Every good IDE underlines incorrect code in red and gives a small description about it. Code Warrior has no such feature. It waits until you attempt to compile the .java file and then hits you with a barrage of error messages that make no sense. Yep, you guessed it. It’s the equivalent of writing code in notepad and manually compiling it using the words “javac example.java” and “java example.”

Actually, it doesn’t even do that. It compiles it to a .jar every time, which makes no fucking sense. Why on earth would I want my program to be compiled to a .jar unless I tell it to? What audience is Code Warrior catering in? What purpose is it serving? To be frank, nobody. I quickly Google searched “Code Warrior review” and the results gave me content dating back to 1997. No self-respecting programmer would use this instead of Eclipse or NetBeans (I personally do not like NetBeans, but at least it can call itself an IDE).

I did finish the quiz, but I almost ran out of time when I didn’t need to. I’m going to ask my teacher on Monday if I can use Eclipse in a polite manner, and I will state the advantages for doing so. I already know Java, and using Eclipse will help me get my work done quicker. There are literally no downsides to using an IDE that I’m comfortable using, especially under pressure. Also, I don’t exactly agree with using proprietary software, either.

If you ever have the unpleasant experience of using the Code Warrior IDE, I pray for your sole.