Seeking IDE recommendation 1

[redss]

Which of the Java IDE's is most like visual basic in intuitiveness? I tried one popular IDE (name withheld) and it wasn't very intuitive to me - I'd like to be able to simply drag & drop from the toolbox/toolbar, and click on it to see the code behind the control... recommendations?

 

[palbano]

Well I have been using Sun One Studio and I find it plenty intuitive. But then I wouldn’t touch Visual Basic with a ten foot pole so there’s that.

-pete

 

[AlistairMonkeyFinger]

I used to be a VB programmer () but have been converted . I get on pretty well with Oracle JDeveloper but mainly because i'm doing stuff with EJB's and it integrates well with Oracle containers. It does have a GUI designer that isn't too bad either but i don't use it much.

Most IDE's have some sort of GUI designer but Java as a language is quite different to VB especially when it comes to GUI design so you might not find anything that's exactly the same as in VB. The Eclipse IDE is supposed to be OK (and it's free) but not sure if it has a GUI designer.

Alistair

 

[sedj]

To be fair, if you are learning Java you'd be better off starting in notepad of vi. In my opinion, its better to use an IDE only after you understand the code the IDE generates - else how will you be able to debug properly ?!

 

[mmaz]

I agree with sedj. If you start right away with an IDE, you will learn how to use the IDE, and not necessarily learn java.

I've been using Netbeans for a while now, and I like it a lot. It has JUnit and Ant plugins, which are very important to me. It's also open-source...

 

[palbano]

I have to disagree with sedj and mmaz. The individual is what makes the difference, not the tool. Someone that is predisposed to magic software development is not going to follow your advice anyway. They are only interested in quick easy solutions. However a real developer is uncomfortable with magic stuff going on and therefore will dig in and discover/learn the details, regardless of what magic the tool or IDE does for him/her.

"But, that's just my opinion... I could be wrong."

-pete

 

[AlistairMonkeyFinger]

Yeah, kind of depends what environment you work in to some degree, if you work in a "quality" environment where there are a number of developers and software lifecycles and software is to be released externally or to the enterprise then code must be of high quality and the developer must understand what's going on beneath the covers.

But for developers in small internal development groups often the important thing is that it is delivered and works (obviously with certain quality requirements). In this case, an IDE that allows a developer to quickly put an app together can be very useful.

..again, that's just my opinion [puts on flame retardant suite]

Alistair

 

[palbano]

Alistair,
Yes well put.

-pete

 

[jwenting]

One should never learn the tool before the underlying language.
Such leads to poor programming and software that is a nightmare to maintain.
Software (and especially GUIs) created by such people tend to be the ones that give Java its notoriety for being slow.

An inexperienced programmer IMO should not work alone on a project for a small company. He (or she) should be working as a junior in a larger team being coached by more experienced people in order to prevent bad habits from forming that can be hard if not impossible to unlearn lateron.

 

[maxpower1]

I actually bought jcreator and use it for everything; jsp, java, xml, html, sql etc. I view is as a BMW's version of notepad. The environment is so open that if you decided to use a different tool later on, there is nothing in jCreator that customizes the project.

If you want more power, I'd suggest Intellij's idea.

My view is not related to the fact that you're a novice or expert java programmer. It's about the tool.


~za~
You can't bring back a dead thread!

 

[computerjin]

have you tried borland's JBuilder? its costly tool but gives you a really powerful ide designer and lots of other facilities.

 

[timw]

I too come from a Visual Basic background (again ). I think I'm well rid of it. I must say that the few instances when I've had to go back and fix something in one of the VB projects I've worked on, the IDE (VB6) feels horribly clunky compared to the Java ones I've used. I don't actually think the VB6 IDE is all that intuitive ... it does a good job of brainwashing you into thinking it is though .

If you use JBuilder Foundation it's actually free for personal use. It's 'hobbled' slightly, so some of the bells-and-whistles are unavailable, but it's got a great GUI builder.

Eclipse has got a GUI builder plug-in but it's not as good as JBuilder's IMO (yet!!). Eclipse as a whole, though, is nice. Plenty of refactoring support.

On the IDE vs Text Editor discussion: I agree with palbano to some extent, and in an ideal world jwenting's suggestion that we all learn as part of an experienced team is spot on. If only we lived in an ideal world...

 

[Diancecht]

I'd like to add that an important part of an IDE is the eassy access to external resources like repositories, deployment tools, debuggers and so on.

You can learn the basis of Java with notepad. I did it with emacs and managed my first project with it and just a CVS. But I must recognize that if you wany to do some visual design it's highly recommended to have a nice GUI.

I'd bet for Eclipse, mainly because it just does what you ask it to do. No extra code, no metadata.

Cheers,

Dian

 

[timw]

Yeah, Eclipse is a "class act" (pun intended - sorry).

Tim