Beyond integrated development environments: adding context to software development

Software developers create amazing software that is constantly changing the world in which we live: Navigation systems make it easy to find hard to find locations, mobile phones help diagnose health conditions and communication with almost anyone anywhere is virtually effortless. To create these amazing systems, software developers use tooling that is stuck in the past. Integrated development environments enable tools to work together more seamlessly, but remain oriented around the static structure (i.e., files, classes, etc.) of software. This paper proposes that a focus on the study and implementation of context could enable software tooling to take a substantial step forward, helping software developers to work more effectively. We delve into initial ideas of what context in software development might be and how context might support creating tools that augment human intelligence, allowing developers to better focus on the complex problems they face as they build amazing software.