Anyone privy to Google developments would be aware of Project IDX. But, what’s the deal with this new initiative from the search giant? Google says it started Project IDX as an experimental initiative aimed at bringing developers' entire full-stack, multiplatform app development workflow to the cloud. In essence, Google is bringing Project IDX to make app development effortless. “Project IDX starts with a web-based workspace that'll feel familiar for coding but fresh. And we're just at the beginning of this journey. We'd love your input as we work to make application development better,” read the description of the project on its official website. Google’s Project IDX comes with some unique features and it has huge potential to impact the developer community. Besides that, the launch has also sparked a discussion about the competition between big tech houses and the future of development tools. Here we attempt to understand, what exactly is Project IDX and where is Google heading with it. What is Project IDX? Project IDX is an IDE or integrated development environment. This can be thought of as a “super IDE,” which is an AI-backed browser-based development experience on Google Cloud powered by Codey - an AI coding bot that uses natural language processing (NLP) to write code based on user input. Codey is trained on code and built on PaLM2, Google’s large language model. To make it simpler, Project IDX is Google’s new tool for developers, similar to a digital workshop where they can create apps and software with ease. It is a digital toolbox that operates online, and developers can access it from anywhere - be it from their desktop at home or even on the go. Project IDX is integrating AI which is powering its features such as assistive chatbot, code completion, contextual code actions, etc. The initiative, although a web-based implementation of a developer environment, will also support some of the popular frameworks such as Flutter, Next.js, Angular, and more. However, some reports suggest that it will initially support JavaScript and Dart, with languages such as Python, Go, and others to be added at a later stage. The project reportedly also includes a fully configured Android emulator and an embedded iOS simulator. This is indicative of Google’s focus on making cross-platform, web, and mobile full-stack development more accessible. Project IDX is built on a platform known as Visual Studio Code or VS Code - a streamlined code editor with support for features like debugging, version control, and task running. Introduced in 2015 by Microsoft, VS Code has been embraced by the development community worldwide. With Project IDX, Google aims to make it super easy for developers to create applications for smartphones, desktops, and the web. Reportedly, the project also comes with some smart features that can make code suggestions making it easy for a developer. Besides, Project IDX is designed to work seamlessly with other services offered by Google. How does it compare to Microsoft’s tools for development? Since VS Code is offered by Microsoft, Google’s biggest rival, the search giant added its own unique features to distinguish Project IDX from the former. In essence, Google is attempting to offer something that is similar to Microsoft, however, with its own tweaks. For developers, this would mean using an environment that is kind of familiar, but with some smart features and modifications in coding and app development. Google’s move may seem attractive to the developer community. Both Google and Microsoft have different approaches to making Android apps. While Google is believed to have a wide-ranging approach, Microsoft is known for its more strategic ways. While the two tech giants have differing philosophies, their potential collaboration now seems inevitable. Moreover, with Google harnessing VS Code, the community hopes for better collaboration between Google and Microsoft. And this could only benefit both companies. AI is already aiding developers in various ways to speed up and improve their productivity, with Google taking it to the next level, app development seems to be set for some significant change. An important caveat here is that nobody has yet tried Project IDX and currently, it is on a waitlist. In case you ever thought of creating your application or software, Google’s Project IDX could be your motivation as it is supposedly a beginner-friendly workshop on the cloud.
