You minus IDE=helpless?

Nowadays, the IDE is your workbench. You can generate your UML, debug, run embedded servers, inspect your code, read the Dilbert strip...all from within a single application.

With each release boasting nifty features, there is very little reason to leave the comfort of your IDE.

Or is there?

In the good old days, we had no such pleasures. I remember writing code in Notepad, and was thrilled when I discovered EditPlus. Debugging meant compiling on the command line, fixing error by error till you had a successful compile, starting tomcat and testing your web app. Today, you can do all this and more at the click of a button.
This is certainly great news for the developer...and a very bad habit as well.
No doubt IDE's save you a lot of trouble and time. IntelliJ IDEA has increased my productivity tremendously and helps me with a whole lot of things- including reading the Dilbert strip ;-)
But, if I had no IntelliJ for a day, then I would still be able to code in EditPlus and look up the JavaDoc from wherever if need be, deploy my application and debug it. And that is the difference.

Too often I see IDE whizzes who can do almost anything with CTRL, SHIFT or ALT and one or two keys. But take the IDE away...and they are helpless. This is Bad Thing in my opinion. The fallout of not knowing the basics is terrible. And this doesn't just apply to software.

I have seen cases where for some reason, the embedded web server plugin fails for whatever reason. Everyone is examining their code and can find nothing wrong...and they're re-examining it for hours and hours. I say shut it down and deploy manually...but few know how to :-)
In fact, very few know how to run javac !!! Turns out that the code base is fine...it was the embedded web server....hours and hours of valuable time wasted because we refused to abandon our beloved IDE.

Consider this scenario- you've developed this fantastic application, deployed it using your IDE, debugged it and it runs like a dream. Then you go to install it at the clients site. And horror of horrors, they don't have your IDE. And won't let you install it. Now what???
You should be able to say so what? You'd roll up your sleeves, check your code out of CVS or wherever, set your build properties, run ANT, deploy, start your webserver and go home in a couple of hours to have a nice drink.
But if you know no such thing...then you'll be pleading with IT to install your IDE and when they refuse you'll have to call someone in your team and have them guide you step by step. And you'll be drowning your sorrows in many drinks after many, many tense hours. Which is a better option??

I am not condemning IDE's. On the contrary. I have used a couple (and IntelliJ by far is THE best...though beware, after using it, like me, you will hate the likes of Eclipse). They are huge help. But use them after you know how to get up and running without their help. If you are developing a simple webapp, can you code a servlet for example, without the IDE? Can you compile it? Can you deploy it? Do you know how to run Tomcat? Where to find the log files?
If yes, then go ahead...open up your IDE and be happy :-)

-Luanne