Being one of the top vendors that facilitate Intelligent Development Environment, users and tech enthusiasts need to understand and get regular updates regarding the changes and updates happening with the technology. JetBrains, a prominent vendor in the market, known for a benchmarking IDE offering has released new updates for the month of October. With the release of new updates that facilitate free-of-cost non-commercial offerings and early access programs, JetBrains is focusing on enhancing the user experience and simplifying the consumption of its offerings for non-commercial usage.   

The major announcement on the free availability of WebStorm and Rider for Non-Commercial Usage:

JetBrains earlier this year implemented a new licensing model for its recently released IDEs, Rustover, and Aqua, making them free for non-commercial use, and are extending this model to WebStorm and Rider. This has enabled users who are utilizing these IDEs for non-commercial purposes, such as learning, open-source project development, content creation, or hobby development, to use them free of cost. This change in pricing policy is not extended for commercial projects and does not hold any impact on other JetBrains IDEs. The company is also evaluating this offering thoroughly to see the future scope for this free non-commercial licensing approach.

JetBrains has stated that the major reason behind making non-commercial development free is to enhance the accessibility of JetBrains IDEs to a broader audience. It hopes to lower the barrier of using IDEs to accelerate the creativity and learning experience of users. Though the presence of monolithic functionalities embedded with features that are integrated & essential for smooth functioning are present, developing additional community editions risks offering a feature set that doesn’t meet the requirement of JetBrains’s customer base comprising different types of users. With this update, JetBrains is also addressing the request for more community editions after exploring multiple options.

The company has also stated that it allows the collection of anonymous usage statistics for non-commercial licensees which in turn will be used for improving product experience and capabilities. The company claims to avoid the collection of any other data and focus on utilizing anonymous feature usage data of IDEs along with usage data of actions performed and as per the different types of functionality of the IDEs which is similar to its Early Access Program (EAP). JetBrains also disclosed the reasons behind the choice to apply its new licensing model to WebStorm and Rider as the rising preference by developers to code outside of work as a hobby, growing interest for professional growth or self-paced learning, and continuous rise in the game & web development as a hobby by multiple users.

YouTrack Updates:

The new updates in features allow the use of Apps to add out-of-the-box new features, tools, and integrations in YouTrack. The additional support also includes customization of YouTrack suitable to the specific needs to improve management & monitoring aspects, automation & integration with other tools & internal systems, and enhancement in its consultation capabilities to simplify self-app creation along with finding offerings present on JetBrains Marketplace. The new updates facilitate the use of Apps to extend YouTracks functionality by offering the creation of own apps, installation of external apps, customization of its appearance, addition of UI widgets & extra pages, implementation of complex automation with workflows, and enhancement in workflow experience. JetBrains also facilitates the free availability of all apps in JetBrains Marketplace along with the opportunity to publish the apps created by users who are actively working on adding options to publish paid apps.

Product & Community Updates:

• JetBrains has announced the availability of Ktor 3.0, a framework for building asynchronous server & client-side applications that use Kotlin 2.0 and switch 2.0 to Kotlinx-io.
• ReSharper 2024.3 Early Access Program which is about improving C++ support along with something new for C# developers.
• Code Cleanup: Facilitation of default code cleanup profile substitution for particular files via .editorconfig files and specify files from code cleanup for omitting. 

• Naming Styles:  
• Addition of Local functions with ‘async’ and Task-returning local function options to Local functions to choose from.
• Facilitation of a new Task-returning method option to support methods with an Async suffix in the name that aren’t marked with an async modifier in Methods which is helpful while declaring a method in an interface that doesn’t allow the use of an async modifier but will return a Task type in implementation.
• Warning about using prefixes and suffixes in unrelated identifiers that can disable prohibition from using suffixes in entities other than methods in the Method rule via 2024.3 EAP.
• New formatting options such as the option to control wrapping around an equal = operator, the option to indent ‘break’ from ‘case’, and the option to treat ‘case’ statements with ‘break’.

Updates for ReSharper C++:

A few notable updates to C++ support in the first EAP build include Move to Folder refactoring that now also handles C++ files, built-in live templates to generate UE_LOG and UE_LOGFMT logging statements, the option to use XML documentation instead of Doxygen, and support for literal suffix for size_t and attributes on lambda expressions from C++23, the C23 type of and typeof_unqual operators, and the C++17 std::has_unique_object_representations type trait are amongst a few.

Updates for Rider 2024.3:

• Support for hot reloading C++ with Live++: Through collaboration withLive++ for bringing C++ hot reloading support for Rider, JetBrains has announced no new UI but a smooth user experience through automatic refreshing of debugger while updating application by Hot-Reload and the facility for double-clicking error message in Live++ output to open the file in Rider to show compilation error.Additionally,the new updates also offer automatic reattachment of the debugger to the new processes by Rider when Hot-Restart is invoked along with the Hot-Deoptimize global shortcut key that automatically toggles the optimization state of the compiled related to the file open in Rider.
• C# formatting: The new formatting options comprise of new option to control wrapping around an equal = operator, a new option to indent ‘break’ from ‘case’, and a new option to treat ‘case’ statements with ‘break’ as simple to facilitate more flexibility. 
• Unreal Engine support: Built-in live templates via Unreal Engine Solutions that provide provides built-in live templates to generate UE_LOG and UE_LOGFMT logging statements along with the options to quickly choose desired log category & verbosity level from available values, and extended customization of these templates in Templates Explorer.

Analyst Perspective:

The October updates by JetBrains signify a strategic move to enhance user accessibility & experience across its IDE offerings. By extending free non-commercial licenses to WebStorm and Rider, JetBrains is lowering barriers for learners, hobbyists, and open-source contributors, thereby fostering creativity and skill development within a broader audience. The updates not only democratize access to powerful development tools but also align with current trends of developers engaging in personal projects outside of work. Furthermore, the enhancements in YouTrack, including customizable apps and improved project management capabilities, empower users to tailor their workflows, boosting productivity & integration with other systems. The updates to ReSharper and Rider, particularly the support for C++ hot reloading and refined formatting options, streamline the coding process, facilitating a smoother development experience. Collectively, these changes reflect JetBrains’ commitment to evolving its offerings in response to user needs, solidifying its position as a leader in the intelligent development environment space.

Author :  Nikhilesh Naik Principal Industry Analyst at Quadrant Knowledge Solution