All,
Here are the results from the survey we did with the 2 questions raised on this list. We had a total of 2313 responses over a two week period. The exact questions are below.
1. The Eclipse IDE should show line numbers in all editors by default:
YES: 80.07% (1852 responses)
NO: 19.93% (461 responses)
Total: 2313
Skipped: 15
2. The Eclipse Java compiler should report all potential programming problems in Java source code:
YES: 65.83% (1,435)
NO: 34.17% (745)
Total: 2180 responses
Skipped: 148
As with any survey, people can interpret the results in different ways. My interpretation is that it is pretty clear people would like to see line numbers shown by default. For the Java compiler warnings I think it is less clear, since more than a third said NO. There was also a larger number of people that skipped the question. I think this is due to the fact that the Java compiler warnings include a lot of different options. It is not a binary preference like line numbers.
Moving forward I do hope that 1) line numbers are enabled by default in Luna and 2) people spend a bit more time thinking about how to improve the preferences for compiler warnings.
I hope this helps.
Ian
Detailed questions:
1. Line Numbers
Currently the Eclipse IDE does not display the line number ruler by default on the left side of text editors, e.g., in the Java editor, XML editor, the C or C++ editor. It is possible to activate this via the vertical ruler's context menu or Eclipse preferences.
Some users have requested that the line number ruler should be activated by default, while others would like to keep the current setting. If enabled by default, all text editors would show line numbers on the left side of the editor.
To serve our users best, we would like to know what the majority desires. Therefore please vote based on your preference.
2. Java Compiler Warnings
The Eclipse Java compiler can perform additional code analysis in order to detect potential programming problems. For some of the problems, convenient Quick Fixes are available to easily correct them. Currently, only a few of these are reported as warnings by the compiler.
Some users have requested that the compiler report all potential programming problems by default. This will result in more compiler warnings being reported for your Java code in Eclipse.
Although some new reports will encourage developers to follow best practices, some will be false-positive or not relevant in your context.
As a reminder, currently it is possible -- and will still be possible with this proposed change -- to override the default configuration for individual reports (enable/disable rules) in Eclipse Preferences.
To serve our users best, we would like to know what the majority desires. Therefore please vote based on your preference.
