I strongly believe that if you’re a beginner programmer or if you’re an experienced programmer learning a new language, you should first spend some time writing code with just a plain text editor, compiler, and (if applicable) debugger. It helps you understand the basics and build a good foundation of skills. Especially for beginner programmers, it keeps you from getting overwhelmed.

But yes, after you have the basics down, there’s no reason to not use tools that make you more productive!