Which IDE to use?

[umar pak]

I started using Visual j++ but it didn't support JDK1.2 therefore some of my code was not running on it so I shifted to VCafe. I found VCafe not good as compared to Vj. I want to go back to Vj, Can anybody tell me how to configure it use latest version of jdk or is it possible?
Some people say that Visual java is polluted and should not be used?Give your advice.
I also heard that Microsoft is not going make any new version of vj because of some legal problems with sun so learn this ide is waste of time?

[Peter Tran]

Umar,
If you're serious about learning JAVA, then do not use VJ++. Microsoft stop supporting this product, and they don't have any plans to release any new version in the future.
I don't like using an IDE, because developers use it like a crutch. They can't program if they don't have it. I know co-workers who can't come to my machine and show me their code unless I have the IDE they were using installed!
Ask yourself this, can you move from machine to machine and still work?
I would recommend getting a very good editor (supporting JAVA) and learn pure JAVA without relying on an IDE.
Good luck,
-Peter

[umar pak]

Thanks for reply-Peter.
Would you please recommand any good editor. Also give the link from where I can download it.

[Peter Tran]

If your short on $$$, then use www.textpad.com. You can evaluate it and pay the shareware fee of a modest $27.00. If you're working on a major JAVA project, then get www.slickedit.com which cost a whole lot more ($199), but it's totally worth it. It's even better if you can get your company to purchase it for you. It will increase your productivity tremendously.
-Peter

[Christopher Kerns]

Umar,
You are righ, Microsoft and Java don't mix. Personally, my favorite IDE is Borland's Jbuilder. You can download the "Foundations" version for free at www.inprise.com. The way I understand it, M$ pretty much used Borland products as a model for their's anyway, so it will be very similiar to J++. Also, as you get more advanced, you can look into the IDEs Pro and Enterprise versions. Also, Sun has "Community Edition" of Forte available for free. It uses the "floating windows" which I personally don't care for, but I understand it is a very capable tool.
Peter is right, though. When learning you might want to stick with simple ASCII editors, as tools like JBuilder hide a lot of the details from you (especially, it handles the packages and classpath's for you). However, when you are confident in your knowledge, the productivity boost you can get from a good IDE is huge.
Good luck,
Chris

Originally posted by umar pak:
I started using Visual j++ but it didn't support JDK1.2 therefore some of my code was not running on it so I shifted to VCafe. I found VCafe not good as compared to Vj. I want to go back to Vj, Can anybody tell me how to configure it use latest version of jdk or is it possible?
Some people say that Visual java is polluted and should not be used?Give your advice.
I also heard that Microsoft is not going make any new version of vj because of some legal problems with sun so learn this ide is waste of time?

[Peter Abelsson]

The coolest IDE I've found is CodeGuide (www.omnicore.com). It does on the fly error checking (very cool!), code completion, debugging etc. My other IDE experiences:
* Visual Age - Sucks, slow, anoying, corrupt repositories
* Visual Cafe - Buggy but ok, no code completion on compiled classes
* Borland JBuilder, version 4 looks really promising, JSP debugging and other cool enterprise features.
/Peter

[Bill Hause]

If you need an IDE that supports the latest JDK I recommend Forte. It always supports the latest. The others always seem to be one version behind. Best of all its supported by SUN.
Billy

[Stuart Goss]

Peter Tran, I liked what you said about the IDEs, I was starting to think there was something wrong with me because I didnt like programming with the IDEs at all. I've got a simple editor that highlight keywords and can compile an run under MS. Under linux I use the vi editor with colour highlighting turned on. You can compile and run from the vi editor too.
Thanks for making me feel better!
Stuart
P.S. I dont like Forte much!

[Desai Sandeep]

Hi,
I have been using Oracle JDeveloper for about 8 months now.It is a pretty good IDE, and is built on JBuilder Technology.I have heard that some things are easier to be done using JDeveloper rather than JBuilder.

Also JDeveloper comes with some very good integrations with Oracle DB,Oracle Application Server.It has inherent support for JSP/Servlet Debugging,EJB Debugging, Java Stored Procedures(incidentally it was the first IDE to support it!!!), Corba IDL,Data Web Beans,DAC (Oracle Infobus API support), and many other features.
Apart from this,it has a beautiful technology in place called "Business Components with Java", which makes life so much easier for implementing/debugging Enterprise Application.It is a Java XML solution, which allows you to do validation in the second tier itself, before posting the data to the DB.Once you get used to it, you would feel EJB is a big burden!!
However, I would personally like to see Oracle supporting major e-business products in the future.
This product is available for free download at http://technet.oracle.com
Thanks,
Sandeep Desai
[e-mail]

1. Sun Certified Java Programmer Scored 93 per cent
   
2. Oracle JDeveloper Rel. 3.0 - Develop Database Applications with Java Scored 56 out of 59
   
3. IBM Enterprise Connectivity with J2EE Scored 72 per cent
   
4. Enterprise Development on the Oracle Internet Platform Scored 44 out of 56
   

[This message has been edited by Desai Sandeep (edited April 12, 2001).]

[Anonymous]

Why don't you use Forte for Java?