Questions

[mikedaruke]

All,

I am new to Java but I am learning. I actually created a small application using swing that connects to a database, queries, returns results. Also it runs perl scripts that I wrote that connect to servers and run commands.

Anyway, I wrote all that from scratch using books and references and this site!

I was reading about NetBeans 5.0 IDE. It looks pretty cool so I downloaded it and I am playing with it.

Do you guys use NetBeans? If not do you use another program? Or does everyone just write apps/scripts from scratch?

I appreciate everyones comments.

 

[feherke]

Hi

I usually write my programs in Midnight Commander on Linux and in DOS Navigator on Windows, with which I suck a lot but also I learn a lot.
For other applications while I learned servlets/JSP, I used NetBeans and it helps a lot. Currently I use Eclipse, which is... Eh, I could say anything, the others will argue that is the best.

I also saw I guy working on quite big Java application with a customized Emacs ( I think was XEmacs ).

For working with GUI, my advice is to keep your NetBeans.

Feherke.

http://rootshell.be/~feherke/

 

[timw]

I think we've done this one before. Try a search to find it. (I use JBuilderX and Eclipse3.1)

Tim

 

[Diancecht]

And how can you recommend JBuilder? It's a complete nightmare.

My advice is: for the basics, notepad/emacs is enough. IDEs will hide you what's going on in the back.

Cheers,
Dian

 

[timw]

Dian, I didn't recommend JBuilder. I merely said I used it. Company's choice, not mine.

Tim

 

[Diancecht]

Sorry, I assumed you recommended it when mentioning.

I have the same problem here. I've never seen such a buggy product released to the market. It shows an error when you reference a static variable with its fully qualified name.

Cheers,
Dian

 

[timw]

Anyway, we usually recommend beginners stick to things like notepad. You will learn more about the syntax because you'll have to.

For myself, I need things like JBuilder / Eclipse to be productive. I'd hate to have to refactor code by hand in notepad (!!).

Tim

 

[yigit]

I'm really new but i use 'JBuilder 2005 Enterprise'. I fiddled with NetBeans 5.0 for a while and it looked like a dream come true in GUI handling but later i felt that control was better in JBuilder. So i suggest Jbuilder. What is the difference between Eclipse and Jbuilder anyway?.

something to learn everyday
yigit

 

[Diancecht]

A few nice features of "JBuilder", appart from the nice one I stated before:

1.- You cannot search references within different projects.
2.- I still can't figure out how to adjust indent options
3.- It eats huge amounts of memory without knowing why
4.- It's not free
5.- You cannot customize or add new functionality

Want more?

Cheers,
Dian

 

[timw]

Dian,

1. You can if you add the other projects within the 'Required Libraries' section.
2. Me neither.
3. Yep, can't disagree
4. JBuilder Foundation is free.
5. You can. It has a plugin facility called OpenTools. (Borland offer many of these, written be users, as free downloads)

Tim

 

[Diancecht]

A JBuilder defender! I thought they've become extincted

I'm not saying JBuilder is awful, I'm just saying I think it's awful.

What I really hate about it is its project bounded view: I like to have my workspace where I can open classes from all my open projects without having to know which class is in which project. Yes, like Eclipse.

I didn't know about the free version, I use the Enterprise (my real name is Kirk) but I'm sure that the Open Tools thingie doesn't have the community and the flexibility of Eclipse plugins.

Cheers,
Dian

 

[timw]

Well, James T., I try to be fair. JBuilder does have some good points (I have to use it currently, so it helps to think this way).

I too doubt that the OpenTools has anything like the same flexibility and community as Eclipse Plugins.

Did you know that the next version of JBuilder is to be built on top of the Eclipse platform?

Tim

 

[Diancecht]

I also use it, and of course it's a helpful tool that hides you from a lot of the complexity of the development, but Eclipse, from my point of view, clearly beats it. And the evolution you mentioned is a kind of evidence.

I've tried JBuilder 2006 and, appart fron the new deploy options, I still think it's the same. I'm currently working with WebServices, and while I can invoke one with its WSDL esaily with Eclipse, I still can figure out how to do the same with JBuilder, even if they have the same option: "Web Services Explorer"

Cheers,
Dian

 

[timw]

I like Eclipse's code refactoring / completion tools. They surpass JBuilder's ( version X ).

I also agree with your 'ease of use' sentiment. Once you manage to 'unearn' some of the JBuilder ways of doing things, Eclipse is nicer.

Tim