which compiler (/IDE)?

Engines, Libraries and Tools Tools Discussion
#1

Hi folks,

one simple question, which IDE do you use?

im a big newbie but experienced enough to think using notepad + sun’s tools sucks hard.

im using JBuilder 2007 (i think its from borland). Some friends told me not to use anything coming from borland coz they have plenty of bugs.

so far i only had some problems with things that wont repaint (both with setIngoreRepaint(true) and (false), but they work well when i export the app to jar.

so what do you advice?

this IDE is really good. it autocompletes my code, for example if a have a jframe object i can type:

myObject.

and as soon as i type the dot, a pop up window appears with all the possible functions i can access to with a short text explaining what the function does (what receives and what returns). so i can browse the functions with the arrow keys and hit enter when im done. (i use this a lot coz im a big newbie and still dont rembemer what each thing does, and some others times its helpful coz i learn a lot from there)

another cool thing is that if i rename something it changes all the required code to fit to the new name.

it also highlight variables and has a really good gui.

the only cons are that its 500mb big (thats a lot for a compiler let me tell ya) and it sucks 250mb of ram, maybe coz its constantly checking if there are errors in the code (it checks and highlight errors even before you compile the code, really usefull to spot errors on the fly). it also has a cool auto fix error (sometimes).

for example it includes libraries automatically or implements methods if needed (for example if you implement an interface).

i dont work for borland, its just what i like about that compiler (my old c/c++ compiler didnt do anything similar to this!), but maybe its just a java standard.

so what do you use/recommend?

see ya

#2

Eclipse. If you’re coming from JBuilder, you might find NetBeans comfortable too.

Cas :slight_smile:

#3

JBuilder 2007 is more or less Eclipse, so you won’t gain or loose too much when changing. I personally prefer Netbeans, but that’s a matter of taste. Most modern IDEs share the same features in one color or another. At least the ones you listed are supported by all three.

And for the wording: a compiler is a (commandline) tool to translate source code into some kind of bytecode. For java this is mostly the standard javac contained in the J2SDK.
JBuilder, Eclipse and Netbeans on the other hand are IDEs (Integrated Development Environments) not compilers.

#4

good to know that thing about IDE’s

So basically if it has those rich features instead of plain text-to-whateverExecutable then we are talking about an IDE right?

Btw i’m not really scared about loosing some features, in facts JBuilder has tons of things that i just dont know what they are (i guess they are for more advanced apps) so it wont bother if they are not there anymore.

the only thing i want basically is auto complete the code (if it has descriptions of what the function does much better!) and error correction on the fly.

ohh and a bug free environment !!

#5

Just try out Netbeans (http://www.netbeans.org/downloads/index.html). It’s a fast effortless download (Java SE - 50mb) and installation. If it doesn’t suite you, stay with jbuilder or try eclipse. But don’t be fooled. All of these full fledged java IDEs are slow starters and real memory hogs. Better have some gig ram spare… If you want something lean and mean you probably won’t find anything with the features you mentioned.

#6

gonna try that out.

anyways, its not the memory usage what worries me but the bugs.

i have 2gb of ram adn even using windows vista its not a big problem.

oh btw, for some reason, when i compile and run the game within the IDE, i get half of the fps i get when i play it from the desktop, any ideas why?

(im getting 86 fps within the ide and 166 locked when playing from desktop)

#7

Eclipse is known for its greediness of memory. NetBeans uses less system resources, but I still prefer Eclipse.

Minor correction: The IDE makes your code work easier. The compiler is usually what you can use from the CMD command-line, and the IDE works with the compiler for you.

#8

I prefer Netbeans. I started out with Eclipse (well, actually Emacs - but that’s another matter!) but for the last few years I feel that NB has been getting better and Eclipse has been getter fatter and more fragmented.

#9

I agree with this. I’m sticking with the Ganymede 3.4.2 version since Galileo 3.5 and beyond can’t run on my computer for some reason. That seems odd to me since my software tends to run next to the cutting edge of release times. Ubuntu though produces some weird compatibility problems. Still, it’s stable and never crashes in my normal usage. …I’m well-practiced at crashing Linux too. ;D It probably comes from my experiences with Windows before Vista! ::slight_smile:

#10

just dowloaded netbeans, for my surprise, it was 50mb only !

about ides getting bigger and bigger, i think it could be useful for some ppl but i dont need to have in the same ide j2se, j2me, j2ee and tons of other things.

i want to have just j2se and a nice gui without thousands of buttons that i dont know what they do.

anyways i suppose they add more and more things to the same ide in order to become useful different users (so more sells :wink: )

gonna tell ya what i think about this new ide.

PS: i edited the topic where it says compiler.

PS2: i see that anyone uses notepad+java’s shit, i guess im not the only one who feels its hard to use even for a “hello world” application

#11

I am interested in your opinion. It has been a year since I used it. I thought about writing a guide regarding it and SVN.

“Notepad” and other similar software perform well for quickly designed console applications. I believe IDEs exceed with GUI designs since frameworks like Swing support this. JSP may highlight the difference.

#12

I use NetBeans for my IDE and SciTE as my text editor. I’ve used Eclipse; mainly over the last year as where I worked didn’t allow NetBeans.

In my experience I find NetBeans typically has 90% of Eclipse’s features, but they are more stable and more intelligent. I can’t remember the last time NetBeans crashed, whilst Eclipse used to crash multiple times a day. I noticed lots of little differences where NetBeans will say give a better error message for incorrect syntax or generate better code stubs. I also really hate, hate, hate the Eclipse look and feel. The window covers the start menu and the side panels are too thick when minimized.

But I think most of my problems with Eclipse are down to personal opinion. I had been using NetBeans for a long time before I really started using Eclipse. It is an excellent IDE.

I quite rarely compile and run things from the command line, but when I do I’ve always found the various tools in the JDK very self explanatory and straight forward when compared to tools I’ve used for other languages. I think Sun has done an excellent job with it.

#13

I personally use (and love) the IntelliJ IDE, but it is rather expensive if you are paying for it out of your own pocket. I only know a handful of professional developers that don’t use some IDE for editing their java files.

If the IDE feels like overkill for you, you can go with a smarter text editor. JL235 mentioned SciTE for a text editor, Notepad+ comes to mind as well. These both do code highlighting, folding, and auto-completion. If you go this route, you should definitely look at using a build tool to compile and package your code, javac and jar are pretty miserable from the command line. Ant and Maven are your two typical options. Ant is a straight forward, “tell it what you want it to do” system. Maven is a pain in the ass to figure out, but is a godsend on a huge project.

#14

On the subject of Ant, it also works very well for when someone has trouble compiling code and a release hasn’t been published yet.

#15

+1 for SciTE

#16

It doesn’t matter what IDE you use. Java is Java, and if you can’t even choose your own IDE without asking someone for help you shouldn’t be a programmer to being with.

#17

Jeez, that’s a bit harsh. I don’t see that it hurts to get other people’s opinion first.

#18

CyanPrime - Your comment, I think, only indicates your own inexperience. Make sure you know what you’re talking about before you start writing people off - especially when they’ve already professed to be a noon and they’re just looking for a discussion. What does your comment add to the conversation? It doesn’t. I personally use 3 IDEs, depending on the situation. They’re not the same at all. Each optimizes your time in a different way, and although the coding remains the same the time saved is important, because as they say, time is money.

#19

+1 on this, there is nothing wrong or unproffessional with asking for help or opinion.

#20

1st: it do matter
2nd: i’ve already choosen JBuilder 2007,i just wanted to know if there is any ide out there that is better

So if you ask the waiter “what is good to eat today?” you are an inexperienced “eater” ?