An interactive development environment (IDE) is a software tool that aids in computer programming. Key features of an IDE include language-aware editing, project management, integrated compilation and debugging. While IDEs take more time to learn than basic text editors, they allow developers to work more efficiently on large software projects through features like code navigation, refactoring and testing. For these reasons, potential employers often expect job candidates to be skilled with IDEs like Eclipse rather than basic text editors.

1. Interactive Development Environments Philip Johnson Collaborative Software Development Laboratory Information and Computer Sciences University of Hawaii Honolulu HI 96822