Comments on the 'Cons' in shineycode.tumblr.com

- CocoaLumberjack: there is a hackish workaround (devnet.jetbrains.net), and a bug fix in the works (youtrack.jetbrains.com). Could be a problem in a shared codebase, admittedly, in which case you can at least just watch the mac console.app
- 'Page guide at column': it's there, but the settings dialogue (as so often with AppCode) is a bit clumsy. Combination of Code Style -> General -> Right margin and Editor -> Appearance -> Show right margin
- AppCode does now have a build settings editor, but, yes, you do generally still need Xcode open for IB and Core Data modelling

- Documentation: the best way to manage this I've found is to use Dash (kapeli.com) with an AppCode plugin (github.com). Dash is far better than Xcode's egregiously-awful docs browser
- LLDB/Console separation: although that's true (I find it a bit odd too), at least AppCode's pane system is very flexible. You can have both in floating mode, and tear one off so they're both visible at once

I agree about some of AppCode's more general UI shortcomings. But the gap between it and Xcode in terms of basic facilities for code generation and navigation is so wide, I can't see Xcode ever catching up.

Which brings me to a puzzle regarding the Apple developer community: is it really as conservative and squeamish as it seems from the outside? Prettier/more pleasant as Xcode is than AppCode, its shortcomings are so extravagant that it's hard to believe anyone without some preexisting emotional commitment would choose to use it. The concerns of the usually very astute @apontius in the Edge Cases AppCode episode (edgecasesshow.com) were weirdly trivial, coming down to little more (IIRC) than the fact that it doesn't really feel like a mac app. That's like a toolmaker refusing to use the best new German CNC lathe because its paint job didn't match that of his workshop.