Thread: What is your favourite Java IDE?

For me, Eclipse is much more "in-tuitive" to use simply because it's the IDE i've started with. I know that Netbeans users will feel the same way about Netbeans, and it is true that it could very well be for them. I like Eclipse's drag and drop IDE components which makes re-arranging the workbench very easy, and their code formatting tools which work marvels with code that's kind of been put together poorly.

I've been programming in Java for years, tried 4 IDE's, and have settled on Netbeans. Why?

First let me list what I have used

• Dr. Java - The very first IDE that I used a few years ago. Good because it came in just a single small Jar file, bad because it was slooooow, pretty basic, and had horrible project managment. It was okay for the initial learning, but not good for any actual productive work
• JCreator - After a year or two of non-java work (mainly web development) I got pulled into a Java class that used JCreator. It was a big step up from Dr Java, and since it was written in C++, it was FAST! But I hated the fact that there was little to no error highlighting, little documentation, and lots of good features hidden in the pro version. Even when I pirated the pro version, it still was missing alot of useful features. It's a good IDE in the class room-ish, but for actual productive work, not really.
• Netbeans - Lots of googling later turned up Netbeans. As many blogs have pointed out, the name made it sound like it wasn't for me (Using Beans in .NET?!), but I was in for a big suprise. Its the first production level IDE that I have ever used, and I am an instant fan. I use it currently for a semi-large project, and it works great. See below for a better explination
• Intellij IDEA - When my project started to grow to the point where I needed modules, I tried out IDEA. I briefly experimented with it before I tried Netbeans, but in Xubuntu Linux it frequently crashed and had tons of errors (it generated a 2.6 MB error file). 4 months and an OS reinstall later, I tried it again. But its still the same way overcomplicated and strange interface, still slow compared to netbeans (even overheated my laptop a few times), and can't format code worth crap!
  
  When I migrated my project to IDEA, I was appalled by the length of the menu's (IE refractor); they were huge, long, and poorly named. Navigating the interface was very confusing, but I eventually sorta got used to it. Then I tried to fix several mysterious import problems. This, and when I tried to figure out keyboard shortcuts, is where I started to absolutely hate IDEA
  
  First there are 3 ways to complete code. What?! That's ridiculous to have to check several menu's just to get what you want! Then the import statements were all screwed up. When managing dependencies, it took a long time to figure out that I don't need a separate group for each dependency, but that I need to use the obscurely named "Single Entry Module Library". Why not simply call it Add Jar or something?!
  
  Then there is code formatting. In Netbeans I love its simple hotkey of Ctrl+Shift+F to <u>F</u>ormat code. Using that hotkey it formats it to the very customizable settings. But in IDEA, I have to reach all the way across the keyboard with Ctrl+Shift+L (what the heck does L mean?) AND answer a dialog. I want to write something sloppy and THEN format it quickly and easily. But thats not all. IDEA replaced all of my simple 2 line if statements with 4 line monsters with braces. Okay, I just need to configure something. But wait, where do I do it?! 10 minutes of googling takes me to File > Settings > Code Style, where apparently I have to export the style to the project, then... what?! More googling and reading tells me I finish editing it, then export the style giving it a name (there should only be ONE style per project, so why the name?). But then I apparently can't use the simple 2 line if statement, I MUST use braces. So more documentation points me to the appropriate option, but now its not replacing the old with the new, I have to MANUALLY do it!
  
  Next is the editor. Okay, looks pretty standard, and has some better color coding than NB. Alright lets go to the end of that line... wait, why am I not snapping to the end? No, I am going where ever my cusor is, floating in the middle of the editor! Okay, I'll just use the arrow keys... wait, its all SPACES?!
  
  Hmm, well lets consult the plugins. It does have nice categories, I will admit that. Then I get depressed again when I look at whats available: Propietary JIndent, and Jalopy's Open Source version. Installed Jalopy, then couldn't figure out where to configure it at. Finally found it under settings, browsed the tree twice, and it froze the whole IDE. Multiple try's reveal that error reporting only happens... sometimes?! Yea for useful error reporting!
  
  So after a week of headscraching, overheats, and slowness, I switched back to Netbeans. IDEA might be powerful, but is so rediculusly complicated and has a terrible counter-intuitive interface.

If you didn't read above, I am currently using Netbeans. It makes SENSE. Great Formatting, code completion, dependency management, live compiling with useful error messages, debugger, etc. I will continue to use it until something catches my eye that does everything NetBeans does but better. And no, thats not eclipse. Way to many blogs and forums have scared me off.

VERY informative post Lord.Quackstar! +REP

First there are 3 ways to complete code. What?! That's ridiculous to have to check several menu's just to get what you want!

all of your problems indicate that you were expecting idea to work in a way that it is not supposed to. there are actually SIX ways to complete code, and that is a very good thing once you understand why they are there. for example, there is a smart code completion that only offers expressions that have a return type that makes sense in the current context. for example:
int x = x.get*complete here*
will only offer methods that return values that can be assigned to an int.

since you, the developer, already know in advance what you want, choosing the right code completion type saves you precious time.

in general, idea seems to understand code, or rather its meaning, much better than eclipse. for example
unknownsymbol.remove(5) alt*enter (aka ctrl+1 in eclipse) shows "introduce fueld/local var/constant/parameter". if i select any of these options, idea searches for the method "remove(int)" and only offers classes that contain such a method - for example, List, ArrayList and Collection. the "depth of understanding" is almost never to be found in eclipse.