Is Sublime Text 2 Useful as a C++ IDE? [vs. Visual Studio]

Question

I've been spending a lot of time trying to figure out which way to go about building a C++ program. I fell in love with Sublime Text 2 as an editor, because it's extremely powerful and extensible. However, at the same time, it seems that IDE's like Visual Studio or Codeblocks is necessary for developing a C++ program.

Is it possible to create a c++ program using just Sublime Text 2, or is this not so recommended? Is it possible to use Sublime Text as an IDE in the same sense as you do Visual Studio?

All answers appreciated :) Yes, I've done extensive research; I'm not very experienced in programming.

Solution 1

You can write code with any text editor and build it using a separate compiler. Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) like Visual Studio are seen by some as a convenience since they package the text editor, the project management, and the compiler together.

For example, when I write code on Linux, I use vim to write my code and the gcc compiler to build it.

Is it possible to create a c++ program using just SublimText 2, or is this not so recommended? Is it possible to use Sublime Text as an IDE in the same sense as you do Visual Studio?

I recommend whatever works best for you. When I'm in Windows, I use Visual Studio to build my projects, but I still usually use my own editor (vim) to write the code.

Solution 2

Sublime Text 2 has some IDE-like functions, like projects and "builds" to execute other programs from inside the editor. I use it at home to make C++ projects, and at work with HTML/Javascript projects.

There are however quite a few features missing compared to a full IDE, like Visual Studios Intellisense and wizards, or integrated debugger.