Hi all,
@Thork: the link in post 1 is still actual, I have updated description as well with citation from latest documentation and fixed some grammar mistakes, so it should be more understandable for new people coming around this topic.
Now, my reaction on Ride and job. From what I read, I still have feeling that I have explained something wrong.
As a experiment, try to get an experienced sighted developer. Prepare some long and complicated source code, best in C++ or similar language. And show it to him, while you limit the view just to one line at a time.
Then tell him to add some feature to program.
Result?
He would get totally lost and it would take him much time to do even simple tasks.
Why?
I read here a statement, that codefolding is not used much by sighted programmers. Well, that's absolutely untrue. Or better said, it is partially true.
Codefolding as a function of ide is really not used much, although there was pretty large group of programmers making pressure to Vs devs, when it didn't contained this feature.
But many sighted programmers don't need it. It isn't because codefolding as a principle would be pointless, but because they do it automatically directly in their heads.
I know it is hard to imagine for someone who has never seen. Sight doesn't work like ears.
While you can process only one information at once from your speech synthesiser, sight is able to get full page of source code at once. Dev itself is still able to process just one information at once, but his brain will firstly select, which informations are more relevant than others.
Thus when he see a page full of code, he firstly select a part which he wants to work with and then his brain filters out all code that is less indented and more indented than actual level automatically.
Exactly like Ride does. We are analysing here something, that is absolutely normal in sighted community.
It is not about experience. Ride is for beginners as well as for pro developers. It is a tool, which replace the ability of sight to make coding easier.
If you refuse to use it, because you are experienced and don't need to make things easier, well, that's your choice. I think no sighted dev would limit his view to just one line, but we all have our opinions which can differ.
But keep in mind, that Ride is not a learning tool, but a tool for everyday use.
And yes, you can use it in job as well. I have read statements like I will use Vs instead of Ride. Of course you can, again your choice, but there is also third option, that you use one as well as other.
For example, Ride is created in Visualstudio. I was using it full time of development for compiling, debugging and other stuff.
But source files were written in Ride. Firstly in old ascii version, it was pretty disturbing to reencode them instantly to utf-8.
Immediately after new Ride get into phase where I was able to open files in it and edit them without fear that they will get shredded, I used it to continue in development.
Similarly I manage my projects on Android platform. All projects are set in Visualstudio and then edited in Ride. Result is, that I have power of Ride to show me relevant code only as well as power of Visualstudio to manage all libraries, references, xaml files, resources, packages etc. etc. etc.
All important tools of Vs are available from command line. So I have opened code by Ride in one window, command line in other and I can do all what I want.
So it goes if you really want, for anything you want.
If you still have doubts, I can give you another good example. Visualstudio is very popular and many big projects use it. it is often used in schools or in jobs.
But it wasn't always here. Projects much bigger than you can imagine, like Windows itself weren't developed in Visual studio. Even autocompletion wasn't there as well as intelij sense, syntax highlightion or super debugging.
But code indentation was always there, starting with C languages if not longer.
And programmers used it and still use in jobs. Exactly like you can use Ride in job. They made big things just on indentation, exactly like you can do in Ride.
Of course, many things have changed and now some jobs just require you to use Visual studio. And not jobs only, if you want to create graphical application in C# for example, anything other than visual studio would be lost of time.
I don't stop you from using it.
I recommend it!
I use Visual studio too as I said above. And Ride is very useful and effective tool for me to supplement it.
For code as well as xaml files, that is also an area where Ride can make things much clearer.
At this point, I agree it would be better to have it directly in Visual studio as a extension for example.
My goal was never to develop new ide or something like that, but rather bring a concept, which can later apply in other areas.
Thus I am trying to find a way how to code such an extension. But there are few questions which I aren't able to answer yet:
1. How does system of extensions for VS work? How deep access does developer have to its visual components?
2. Let's say that I manage to override key presses on the coding area of VS and process pressed keys. There is a question, how does interaction between app and screenreader work?
Does component receive pressed key first, then decide what to do, where my modification would get applied and then annouce result to screenreader? Or reversed? Is the screenreader first which receive pressed key and then move cursor independently on what app does want to do with it?
Those two scenarios require radically different solutions, so I must firstly decide, whichone is true.
If someone is able to answer it correctly, his help will be very appreciated.
Best regards
Rastislav