Software Alternatives & Startups

GNU Emacs VS RubyMine

Compare GNU Emacs VS RubyMine and see what are their differences

GNU Emacs

GNU Emacs is an extensible, customizable text editor—and more.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
RubyMine

Cross-platform IDE for productive Ruby & Rails development.

Rating
0 reviews

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, GNU Emacs seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 6 times since March 2021.

social mentions
6 vs 0
Text Editors popularity
55% vs 45%
alternatives listed
240+ vs 161

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

GNU Emacs
RubyMine
Website gnu.org jetbrains.com
Pricing
Open source
—
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

GNU Emacs 5 features
RubyMine 7 features
  • Highly Extensible
    GNU Emacs is highly customizable, allowing users to configure nearly every aspect using Emacs Lisp. This makes it remarkably adaptable for various workflows.
  • Rich Plugin Ecosystem
    There is a wide array of plugins available for Emacs, extending its functionality for programming, text editing, project management, and more.
  • Versatile
    Aside from text editing, Emacs can function as an email client, web browser, terminal emulator, and more, making it a powerful multi-purpose tool.
  • Free and Open Source
    GNU Emacs is free to use and modify, with source code available under the GNU General Public License, encouraging collaborative improvement and transparency.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Emacs runs on many different operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and various Unix-like systems, ensuring a wide reach and consistent experience across platforms.

Possible disadvantages

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its vast array of features and unique keybindings, new users often find Emacs difficult to learn initially.
  • Performance
    Emacs can be slower compared to more lightweight text editors, especially when heavily customized or handling large files.
  • Keyboard-Centric Interface
    Emacs relies heavily on keyboard shortcuts, which can be overwhelming and complex, leading to potential finger strain from extensive use.
  • Complex Configuration
    While its customizability is a strength, configuring Emacs to fit personal needs can be time-consuming and complex, requiring knowledge of Emacs Lisp.
  • Intelligent Code Assistance
    RubyMine offers advanced code completion, real-time code analysis, and smart refactorings, which help improve code quality and developer productivity.
  • Debugging and Testing Tools
    RubyMine integrates robust debugging and testing tools, such as a powerful debugger with breakpoints, watches, a built-in test runner, and support for various testing frameworks.
  • Integration with Version Control Systems
    RubyMine supports Git, SVN, Mercurial, and other VCSs, allowing seamless version control operations from within the IDE.
  • User Interface
    The IDE has a well-designed and intuitive user interface with customizable themes, keymaps, and tool windows, enhancing the overall developer experience.
  • Plugin Ecosystem
    RubyMine supports a wide range of plugins, both official and community-contributed, which can be used to extend its functionality and integrate with other tools and services.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    RubyMine is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing flexibility for developers working across different operating systems.
  • Database Tools
    RubyMine includes built-in tools for managing and interacting with databases, which is beneficial for developers working on applications that require database integration.

Possible disadvantages

  • License Cost
    RubyMine is a commercial product and requires purchasing a license, which can be a considerable expense for individual developers or small teams.
  • Performance Overhead
    The IDE can be resource-intensive, potentially slowing down development on older or less powerful hardware due to its comprehensive feature set.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    New users, especially those not familiar with full-featured IDEs or JetBrains products, may find the learning curve steep due to the extensive range of features and settings.
  • Dependency on JetBrains Ecosystem
    The integration with other JetBrains tools, while beneficial, can sometimes create a dependency on the JetBrains ecosystem, making it harder to switch to different tools if needed.
  • Occasional Bugs and Updates
    As with any software, users might encounter occasional bugs or issues, and sometimes updates can disrupt workflow until they are fully stabilized.
  • Limited Community Support
    While RubyMine has official support and documentation, the community support is not as extensive as some open-source alternatives, which can be a drawback for troubleshooting and custom solutions.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

GNU Emacs
RubyMine

Overall verdict

  • GNU Emacs is widely considered to be a powerful and versatile text editor, especially among programmers and developers.

Why this product is good

  • Highly Customizable: Emacs can be extensively customized with Emacs Lisp, enabling users to tailor the editor to fit their specific workflow.
  • Rich Ecosystem: There is a large variety of plug-ins and extensions available, which can transform it into much more than just a text editor.
  • Built-in Tools: Emacs includes numerous built-in tools such as a debugger, calendar, email client, and file manager, making it a comprehensive development environment.
  • Cross-Platform: Emacs runs on multiple platforms, which makes it accessible to a broad audience.

Recommended for

  • Programmers and developers who appreciate a customizable and extensible tool.
  • Users who want to integrate various development tools into a single environment.
  • Individuals comfortable with learning Emacs Lisp to create and understand custom scripts and configurations.
  • People interested in a text editor that has a strong and supportive community.

Overall verdict

  • RubyMine is generally regarded as a very good choice for Ruby development, especially for those who benefit from advanced features and dedicated tools for Ruby and Rails projects. Its comprehensive set of tools and resources make it suitable for both beginners and experienced developers, though it does come at a premium price.

Why this product is good

  • RubyMine is considered a robust Integrated Development Environment (IDE) specifically designed for Ruby and Ruby on Rails development. It offers a wide range of features including intelligent code completion, error checking, version control integration, and tools for testing and debugging. Its interface is user-friendly and customizable, providing a productive environment for developers. Integration with other JetBrains products and plugins support further enhances its capabilities.

Recommended for

    RubyMine is recommended for professional Ruby developers, Ruby on Rails developers, and teams working on large-scale Ruby projects who need an all-in-one solution with powerful development tools. It's also a strong choice for developers already familiar with JetBrains products or those who prefer a feature-rich, stable, and supportive development environment.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

GNU Emacs 1 video + Add
RubyMine 2 videos + Add

Switching to GNU Emacs

What's New in RubyMine 2020.2

More videos

  • - RubyMine: Creating and Running Your First Rails Application

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
GNU Emacs
RubyMine
55% 55%
45% 45%
52% 52%
IDE
48% 48%
41% 41%
59% 59%
54% 54%
46% 46%

User comments

Share your experience with using GNU Emacs and RubyMine. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

GNU Emacs no reviews yet
RubyMine no reviews yet
  • 14 BEST LaTeX Editor for Mac & Windows in 2022
    www.guru99.com · Sep 2022

    Emacs is a Unix based text editor tool which is used by programmers, engineers, students, and system administrators. It is one of the best LaTeX editor for Mac that allows you to add, modify, delete, insert, words,...

  • The Top 7 Notepad++ Alternatives for You
    www.technize.com · Nov 2020

    Emacs has been around in its various forms since 1976 and is another very worthy Notepad++ alternative. When I first started using Emacs I have to admit that I didn’t find it the easiest to use. But once I got used to...

  • 10 Best Notepad++ Alternatives in 2020
    www.guru99.com · Nov 2020

    Emacs is a Unix based text editor tool which is used by programmers, engineers, students, and system administrators. It allows you to add, modify, delete, insert, words, letters, lines, and other units of text.

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

GNU Emacs 6 mentions
RubyMine 0 mentions
  • Emacs daemon as sytemd service in debian 12 (gnome)
    Cat .config/systemd/user/default.target.wants/emacs.service [Unit] Description=Emacs text editor Documentation=info:emacs man:emacs(1) https://gnu.org/software/emacs/ [Service] Type=notify ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/emacs --fg-daemon #... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Why does emacs exec path variable not just copy the users path variable?
    ## If your Emacs is installed in a non-standard location, you may need ## to copy this file to a standard directory, eg ~/.config/systemd/user/ . ## If you install this file by hand, change the "Exec" lines below ## to use absolute file... Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Hi DM's, what medium do you use to organise your campaign?
    For gathering notes, writing and organizing, Org-Roam which implies Org and Emacs. Source: about 4 years ago

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Tracking RubyMine since Mar 2021.

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