Java IDE

Puck · 31-10-2001 8:01pm #1

OK guys I'm a poor student so I can't afford to buy them all but which Java IDE should I spend my hard-earned cash on?

DeadBankClerk · 31-10-2001 8:57pm

JBuilder 5 is free from www.borland.com

Puck · 31-10-2001 9:15pm

I actually didn't know that.

Could some kindly Mod please change the title to "Which Java IDE is the best?" ? Sorry about that.

"Me lose brain...? Uh-oh!"

phaxx · 31-10-2001 9:18pm

I've just started Java, so far all I've done is made a little applet saying "Java rules!". I used Forte - it's free, you may as well use it and see what you think.

(However most java peeps think one should start with a text editor and the command line tools)

DeadBankClerk · 31-10-2001 9:21pm

forte is so slow

Puck · 31-10-2001 9:26pm

Ah well I've gotten to grips with the code (I'm in my final year of the course) through using notepad all along so I just need the IDE to speed me up a bit. I usually edit the actual source code even when using IDEs anyway. I would recommend that anyone just starting off should use Notepad myself but I started off a good while ago.

GoneShootin · 31-10-2001 9:53pm

we just started using jBuilder 5, its good but a HOG on resources me thinks

i do believe there was a thread about this already somewhere, but the thread subject did not contain JAVA IDE....went off topic into IDE's...

lost

phobos · 31-10-2001 10:04pm

I'm using JBuilder [Enterprise version], coz I jump from SE to EE development every few seconds, and I can't develop on anything that doesn't do it all. Well to a certain degree anyway.

But TBH I only use JBuilder for editing purposes, coz I still compile and run from the command line. Which I think is the neatest way to do things.

;-phobos-)

Puck · 01-11-2001 8:17pm

I just downloaded and installed JBuilder only to discover that it won't let me create Servlets which is what I will be doing most anyway.
Sher that's not right at all at all!!

Holy Jaysus! I just had a look at the Enterprise and Professional Versions!! This is all a big plot against me isn't it? I wonder if I told my college that I needed the Professional edition to do my final year project (which I do) would they get it for me.

phobos · 01-11-2001 9:06pm

Puck,

I think we should clear something up before you put your college to any expense. For starters remember what an IDE does!. It just makes a programmers work easier, that's why you often hear the word RAD (Rappid Application Development) associated with them. Just because you don't have an IDE doesn't mean you can't do it. But TBH when I started Java, I thought I couldn't write EJBs, all because the college didn't have the Enterprise license for JBuilder. How wrong I was...

Right now the only thing I use JBuilder for, is throwing together GUI front ends. Because constructing the interface and handling events by hand coding them takes time, but it's not impossible to do.

Servlets on the otherhand, are easier to construct outside of JBuilder, using Notepad or Emacs for example. Because don't forget you have the JDK command line tools there for compilation etc. Java uses a OS session variable called CLASSPATH (you probably know this already, but just in case), which keeps track of class locations relative to your project. When you do an import in Java, you are often reffering to classes that are stored in JAR (compress archive) files, which are visible on the CLASSPATH.

So all you have to do is append the Servlet API to the CLASSPATH, and you are ready to start writing servlet code. Here is a link to the Servlet API, which you can download. Then all you have to do is append Servlet.jar to the CLASSPATH, and bob's your uncle.

http://java.sun.com/products/servlet/download.html

HTH

;-phobos-)

dragonkin · 01-11-2001 10:06pm

I have always used Jext as my IDE

It's open source and written entirely in Java... although this does mean it takes slightly longer to load.
I have found it great and full of useful features.. just play with it alot and you'll see the difference. It's great for ppl just learning Java as well... just pick a bit of source and make it better!

http://www.jext.org

phobos · 01-11-2001 11:09pm

I thought Jext was just an Editor

as opposed to an IDE, which includes compilation, debugging,.... tools.

Yes it is a nice editor, but I would like if it had the popup automators, such as those that exist in JBuilder and Forte. E.g. when you press '.' after a package name, it will list all the classes and subpackages within that package. But you would have to specify and point to a JDK for it to be able to do that (for starters).

;-phobos-)

bonkey · 02-11-2001 10:17am

JCreator is pretty neat. No graphical design tools, but for all the rest, its a super piece of kit

My new development environment :

JCreator
ANT
JDK1.3.1

That would be all then

jc

Puck · 02-11-2001 4:39pm

I wasn't serious about asking the college to pay for an IDE just to make my life easier. I could do everything in notepad I know but I think you'll agree with me that for certain things it is just nice to be able to speed things up with an IDE. The main things I use IDEs for are also GUIs but I also find it handy when creating and running servlets to see if they work.

Anyway from what I've heard here I think that I would like to have JBuilder if I could afford the Professional Edition but sher I can't but the Personal Edition will do me grand when I'm not in college I suppose.

I don't need an IDE but it would be nice to have a good one and it would free up a lot of my time.

Thanks for all the advice.

bonkey · 02-11-2001 6:30pm

Originally posted by phobos

But TBH I only use JBuilder for editing purposes, coz I still compile and run from the command line. Which I think is the neatest way to do things.

Funnily, I saw JBuilder throw marshalling errors at me recently for code which worked fine when run from the command line.

It reinforced my beliefs.

Editor for editing.
CVS for source-management
ANT for everything else

jc

phobos · 02-11-2001 7:08pm

CVS for source-management

Could ya tell us more about CVS. I haven't even used Source Management tools such as Source Safe, but I have heard CVS mentioned a couple of times.

Explanation or link would be greatfully appreciated

;-phobos-)

Trojan · 02-11-2001 8:05pm

Originally posted by phobos

Could ya tell us more about CVS. I haven't even used Source Management tools such as Source Safe, but I have heard CVS mentioned a couple of times.

Explanation or link would be greatfully appreciated

;-phobos-)

Weston, you need to look at them, they're great. The best description of source management tool I've heard was "a time-machine for your source code", that's in "The Pragmatic Programmer" (ISBN 0-201-61622-X) (well worth a read).

I'm drunk, but just found out my job is safe (til nexxt round of lay-offs), so heading to the pub again.

Al.

Enygma · 09-11-2001 1:31pm

Anyone else tried eclipse? Just messing around with it so far, it's pretty good. I'm not too gone on the editor at all. I like my Emacs where tab doesn't keeping indenting.
Nice Interface though.

http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-201-7802106-0.html
http://www.eclipse.org/

Gavin · 13-11-2001 10:40am

Slightly out of date thread.. but I jut got NetBeans the other day.. And I have to say it's very nice. Runs quite well too, once it's all loaded. Not zooming fast.. but certainly not slow..

Looks very nice and appears to be very extensible.

Gav

Java IDE

Which Java IDE should I spend my hard-earned cash on? 5 votes

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