Software developers can have it rough; they toil, working on a bit of code under often impossible deadlines. While they make a decent salary, they make nothing like the money Hollywood would have you believe. Programmers donit exert themselves physically, but the mental strain in producing good code can be as rough as wielding a sledge hammer all day.

Good tools can make a programmeris job easier, and Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) were created for the express purpose of making the tasks programmers face less formidable. Whatis an IDE? Think of it as a plumberis tool belt, or a carpenteris workbench, for developers. An IDE contains all of the tools necessary for a programmer, or group of programmers to plan, develop, test and deploy new software.

Of course, there are tools that can create an IDE also, and this is particularly true in the enterprise space. One of the more widely used IDE tools in that space is called Eclipse, an Open Source application originated by IBM, and released to the Open Source community in 2001.

Enterprise developers working in OS X need not feel left out, however, because Eclipse runs natively in OS X also. Appleis Developer Connection has posted an in-depth look at Eclipse in general, and the OS X implementation of Eclipse in particular; here is an excerpt of the article, Eclipse and Mac OS X: A Natural Combination:

Eclipse was originally designed for building integrated development environments (IDEs), that were versatile enough to create applications for a range of programming languages. The intention was to provide tools makers with an IDE that would include mechanisms and rules that would consistently result in seamless tools integration. Since then, Eclipse has evolved to include an IDE that provides benefits for a wide range of development projects.

Because it is Java-based, Eclipse includes the Java Development Kit (JDK); and yet its architecture supports all major programming languages from C/C++ to Cobol.

Eclipse is a free download, and is available on a number of platforms. Since IBM launched Eclipse in November 2001, more than 18 million download requests have been logged from over 125 countries.

A growing consortium of high-profile companies and organizations are actively supporting and extending Eclipseis ongoing development and giving the platform momentum. These organizations contribute support and technology, and they determine the direction and scope of Eclipseis growth.

You can find general information about Eclipse at the Eclipse.org Web site. Thereis also more information about Mac OS X and Eclipse in the full article at Appleis Developer Connection Web site.

Developers interested in getting some hands-on info about Eclipse should register for this yearis WWDC, which takes place later this month.