What is it?
Komodo is an
integrated development environment (IDE), which is the umbrella
term given to a collection of software development tools organised
in a single application package. IDEs can help pull teams of
developers with different skill sets together.
The leading IDEs tend to be based around one supplier's range of
products - such as the Microsoft language family - or one
mainstream language, such as
Java. The Komodo IDE does something different, providing an
integrated environment for different open source scripting
languages.
Komodo, which comes from
ActiveState, supplier of the commercial distribution of the
open source scripting language
TCL, is the most comprehensive IDE for browser- and server-side
scripting languages. It also supports framework stacks such as
Ruby on Rails.
ActiveState makes much of its money by providing paid-for
packaged versions of open source scripting languages, such as
Activeperl and Activepython, backed up by support and training, for
organisations that want the benefits of open source software but do
not want to be cut off from the services of a commercial
supplier.
This support model for open source has proved successful in the
growth of
Linux, but it has been slow to take off in other areas of open
source.
Although not open source, Komodo has roots in, and links to, the
open source world. In September 2007, ActiveState announced the
Open Komodo Project, which will provide an open source code base
from which IDEs can be created.
The Komodo IDE is built on the Mozilla platform, and the tools
developed under the Open Komodo project will be integrated with
Mozilla's Firefox browser.
In January 2007, ActiveState introduced a free Komodo-based
editor, Komodo Edit, which includes a Firefox Extension Wizard.
Where did it originate?
ActiveState announced that it was adopting the Mozilla platform
for Komodo in May 2000.
ActiveState has its headquarters in Vancouver, Canada. Founded
by a group of open source champions, including O'Reilly and
Associates, it was acquired by anti-virus software company Sophos
in 2003, before being spun off again in 2006.
What's it for?
Komodo enables end-to-end development and maintenance of web
applications. Currently at release 4.2, it provides support for
dynamic languages, including code completion and interactive shells
for
Javascript, Perl, Python, Ruby and TCL, and
Ajax technologies such as CSS, HTML and XML.
It includes a multi-language editor and debugging tools for all
the languages supported, and provides project management and
element sharing for multi-developer projects.
What makes it special?
Since release 4.0, Komodo has supported full web-application
development from browser to server in one IDE. Multi-language
web-application debugging can be carried out in one workspace.
A typical reviewer comment is that Komodo would not be the first
choice for people working with a single scripting language, but it
is the best choice for people working with two or more.
How difficult is it to master?
Features such as code completion and integrated debugging
provide support to less-experienced developers.
What systems does it run on?
Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. One licence covers all three
platforms.
What's coming up?
The first Open Komodo tools are due this November.
More hot skills
>>