March 25, 2008

ReSharper Value Proposition

I'm still one of those freaks that insists on having ReSharper around to code with.  When I go to a client, I ask (politely) that they get it for all of their developers.  When I talk at a user group I tell the attendees (not so politely) to get it.

But the one question comes up all the time: is it really worth it.  Then someone else will state how they don't even use the features that are built into Visual Studio as is.

You need ReSharper.  (note: if you are a CodeRush/Refactor user...carry on, it is also a fine tool)

Anyway, JetBrains just published a comparison matrix between ReSharper and naked Visual Studio.  For me, the value is in these areas: Navigation, Coding Assistance, and Unit Testing.  Everything aside from those is just gravy.  (personal TODO: record a coding session using Camtasia)

Check it out.

For myself though, that isn't the comparison I want to see.  I want to see a comparison between ReSharper and CodeRush (I'd do it, but I don't have the time).  This is a comparison where I expect no clear winner, but I know these tools differ quite a bit.

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