The IDEs we had 30 years ago ... and we lost
a day ago
- #programming
- #IDEs
- #nostalgia
- The author reflects on the text-based IDEs of the late 1980s and early 1990s, comparing them favorably to modern IDEs.
- Early DOS programs featured full-screen Text User Interfaces (TUIs) with mouse support, colors, and drop shadows, making them intuitive and discoverable.
- Borland Turbo series (Turbo C++, Turbo Pascal) were standout IDEs with syntax highlighting, compiler integration, debuggers, and reference manuals—all in a compact package.
- Linux in the early 1990s lacked full-screen TUIs, relying instead on arcane editors like Vim and Emacs, which were less user-friendly than Borland's offerings.
- Modern TUI editors like Neovim, Doom Emacs, and Helix offer IDE-like features but still fall short of the integrated, intuitive experience of older IDEs.
- TUI IDEs remain relevant for remote work, resource efficiency, and environments where graphical IDEs like VSCode are impractical or bloated.
- The author critiques modern software bloat, noting that Borland Turbo C++ was under 9MB, while contemporary tools like Doom Emacs and VSCode consume significantly more resources.
- Despite advancements in features and language support, modern IDEs haven't fundamentally changed much from their 30-year-old predecessors, aside from emerging AI-assisted coding.