Integrated Development Environments (IDE) are (obviously) great tools that simplify the life of software developers.
But it is very important to realize that
IDEs are very personal in nature; some people like to use IntelliJ, others like NetBeans, while others prefer to use Eclipse, and so on… This is similar to web browsers, which also are personal; some people use Firefox, or Opera, IE and so on…
Developers dislike being forced to work on IDEs other than their preferred ones; don't force developers to use Eclipse if they are NetBeans users (like me), or vice-versa…
Companies developing IDE “extensions” should really develop plug-ins for several IDEs (if budget permits). Companies developing extensions should develop plug-ins for both NetBeans and Eclipse
at a minimum, which are the top 2 free IDEs, both with good number of followers. Both IDEs are excellent, extensible, and as I said, for free.
As with web browsers, it is about choice, and personal preferences… Maximize developer reach, and top developers productivity by allowing them to develop using their favorite tools/IDE.
ceo