Cloud 9, part 2

After several months of ignoring Cloud9 (the web-based collaborative IDE) I sat down today and did something with it. Today's task was to build a cloud app that was compatible with Google's App Engine. And after a few hours, I did just that.

Cloud 9 supports several languages: JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and PHP. I picked Python, as I have experience with Google's App Engine (GAE) and Python.

To build a Python app for GAE, one needs the webapp2 framework. Webapp2 handles the inbound and outbound web requests. Cloud9 supplies a number of libraries for Python, but webapp2 is not one of them. Not a problem, however, as one can quickly install it with the 'easy_install' utility, which *is* included. (The webapp2 website has the instructions, and a sample program.)

Getting the webapp2 sample to run took some doing. (In my opinion, their sample is almost correct byt not quite correct.. I had to import the 'os' module and enclose parameters to the 'getenv()' function in quotes.

I found the documentation for Cloud9 useful -- once I found the right page. The Cloud9 web site has poor indexing into their support pages. Finding the right page is difficult -- until you switch to Google.

Problems were not limited to the Cloud9 website. Google Chrome failed as well, often displaying its "aw, snap!" page, forcing me to re-load the Cloud9 website (not a small site, due to JavaScript).

Overall, my experience was a bit frustrating, yet successful. Cloud9 may not have perfect documentation, but the IDE itself seems workable.

Cloud 9 web-based IDE

I registered with Cloud 9 for their web-based IDE. I've been looking for a web-based IDE for some time (half-heartedly at best, though). A recent article on either ComputerWorld or InfoWorld pointed me to several.

I'm impressed with the capabilities of Cloud 9. Once you create a profile, you can create projects, edit code, and run your programs. Cloud 9 supports many languages and web frameworks. It also lets you connect other services but exposing your tests to the internet. Perhaps an arrangement not without risks, but necessary for other web-based services like Jenkins.

Cloud 9 has a free level and a premium level. The free level works for individuals; the premium level is suited for teams and supports collaboration among members.