WDSC notes -- WDSCI-L

I have been trying to use WDSC 4.0 for a couple days now and I am not
seeing much payoff so far as a PDM supplement.  I saw immediate payoff long
ago with the CODE Designer (the Editor too) since I had given up on
fighting with SDA and RLU to instead manually enter DDS.  I still think
CODE Designer is probably my favorite and most productive tool.  I am
getting away from this WDSC for the same reasons I got away from Project
Organizer.  It's slow.  The main benefit I see in WDSC is being able to
save filters and get to plug-ins from a GUI menu.  I unfortunately never
use most of the other tools though.  I thought, okay, it is Java and
requires all this memory so it has to be quick.  I guess it is faster than
Project Organizer but I still find myself staring at this scrolling
progress bar for awhile.  Once the object list is up, it is lightning quick
(cached).  Try a different library or filter and there you are waiting 30
seconds, a minute, and longer.  I thought, oh, I will just "search" for the
object I want in this library.  Using the "Edit" -> "Search", entering a
text search, I get "An error occurred during the search operation - Reason:
Resource is out of sync with the file system:
RemoteSystemConnections/Team/Filters/ibm.cmds/FilterPool_DefaultFilterPo...".

 I would like to say that I have been impressed how IBM has been able to
integrate these tools with web development and others, develop a uniform
base with cross-tooling, and make it all open source and allow plug-ins.
All this packaged with iSeries.  I am really happy to see the direction
being taken (especially what was heard at COMMON) but a little confused why
everyone is being "forced" to install ALL of the components.  As part of
setting up WDSC, I was hoping to see:
1. An option of allowing install of help or access of help online.  If
installing help locally, allow selection of getting help locally or online
from some WDSC setup later.  Why not make help available online and
searchable like the Information Center?  After all, we are using Internet
Explorer anyway and changes to help would only need to take place on one
server instead of accumulated in a service pack.
2. Have the option to install JUST CODE (I might want to access my help
online  if there is ever that option).  After all, how much memory and disk
space would it take just to run the Editor, Designer, and (optionally the
Debugger) with help online?  I have heard of Eclipse eventually replacing
CODE but I would like to make sure it is callable and accessible just like
CODE now from PDM.  I see other tools in my Add/Remove programs.  If I
remove one, will I be able to install that tool later?
Merging all these tools is probably good but I would like to make sure I am
not forced to get to the tool I want from another tool that is slow like
anything other than PDM.  I want to make sure I will still be able to say,
"If you don't like that about the tool, you don't have to use it for that."
I regret to inform that I did not use the Beta version of WDSC.  My PC was
too small at the time I found out and I was too scared anyway that it would
cause problems with the WDT I had.  Now my PC has gobs of memory and space
but I don't think I am really seeing anything different or better than I
did before except maybe help searching being in WDSC.  This reminds me of a
court case involving you know who in charge of you know what company (the
"M" word).  I know space is cheap and the latest technology is being used,
but I was still hoping I had been given freedom for setup options like
there is freedom in adding plug-ins.  That reminds me, I have heard about
people writing plug-ins.  Is anyone willing to share these?  Maybe IBM can
use these in a service pack?

Thanks,
Craig Strong