Not sure exactly what comes with DSL, but because of it's target audience (people that want a compact system) I doubt it comes with a huge development environment. As such, you're probably going to be using command line tools, which sounds worse than it is. Once you get used to them, they can be much more efficient than GUI environments. Vi and emacs are a pain to get used to, but they are probably the most powerful development tools DSL may come with by default (if it includes them, that is). For the most part, a simple editor and basic command line tools (gcc, gdb, nano, etc.) are the items you're likely to be using. Of course, you can add other tools, but I'm assuming you mean a default install.
On the upside, by using "basic" tools like these, you'll be forced to focus on the code, which is especially beneficial if you're new to programming. Too many newbie programmers get caught up in using their IDE (and it's automated tools), and don't really understand what's going on "under the hood". As a result, they end up tied to a certain language and set of tools, and don't gain the benefit of different programming styles and concepts that they could gain with more "basic" tools that demand a little more thought and effort, but I digress.
Another benefit is that, once you're used to using more basic tools, you'll be able to program on any system, as most IDE's are simply accessing gcc, gdb and the other items you'll be using on a more simplified system like DSL.
and make
