Hi All,
I've been a troll on here for a couple of weeks now and like what I see 
I am a Systems Administrator with way too many years experience to mention - yes, I'm an old fart (46 and counting!)
I would not consider myself a developer by any means, but over the years, I have dabbled in Java - my last project being an e-commerce system for my employer. I have also coded some weather related apps.
I have a reasonable backgroud in 3d design using SolidWorks and for years have had a "Pipe Dream" of creating a networked 3d world to wander around in.
I came across JME after looking around the net for a 3d engine and it seems to be just what I have been looking for.
My question is…
I have been "Out of the game" for a while and the last IDE I used was Jbuilder Foundation 2005.
I have just downloaded Jbuilder 2008 Turbo, but don't seem to see any mention of it here?
So what is the current IDE of choice? (Choice being free 
)
Thanks in advance,
Mark Roberts
AKA WeatherWitch
eclipse or netbeans seem to be most widely used.
i always used eclipse and i'm pretty happy with it, the eclipse project files are checked in, so setting up the eclipse project its pretty easy.
if you choose, eclipse, netbeans or intelli idea, its just a matter of taste, its probably best if you give them all a try 
As Core-Dump said, try them all. Then use Netbeans.
Netbeans is more productive for me.
Don't wanna start an IDE war, but its almost possible to tell the IDE from coding style (not the code formatting).
fires a salvo for eclipse }:-@
Use Netbeans if:
- You don't want to have to delve into all the options just to get debug up and running
- You want to easily create GUI's
- You just want a plain easy, userfriendly GUI.
Use Eclipse if:
- You are a ArchLinux user, and like to sadomasochistically frustrate yourself finding out the most simple options.
- Want to get stupified by the amount of things you need to do before you can start a project.
But seriously, Eclipse has many features and possibilities, but is not very user-friendly.
Netbeans however, is very easy to get started with, but for very advanced features, you need to do slightly more work than in Eclipse.
I'm an Archie-user (or well, was), but I really can't be bothered to go through the stuff Eclipse demands from a user.
One plus point for Eclipse however:
- You can use/run it from a USB-Stick.
Such threads never come to any good… No result, no benefit… just a lot of arguing. Best suggestion is, try them all, or just pick one at random.
I will not reveal my choice and I suggest everyone else do the same… no point fighting and bickering over this.
hinthint*, mindgamer uses notapad.exe as IDE
Core-Dump said:
*hint*hint*, mindgamer uses notapad.exe as IDE :)
Notepad2 ftw ;)
I personally agree with the comments about eclipse. I hate it, but that's what I got weened onto for java development. Too lazy to go with something new and be all lost and confused again ;)
lol ur all nubz emacs rulz
(just kidding, everybody knows that vi is all you need for coding!)
"But seriously, Eclipse has many features and possibilities, but is not very user-friendly."
I'm not an advanced user of Eclipse but whenever I wanna do something new with it I find it out easily.
So Eclipse for the win
Eclipse all the way…
I have used a lot of IDEs in the last 9 years. notepad, textpad, several other text editors, jbuilder, kawa, forte (now netbeans I believe,) Eclipse, JEdit, JDeveloper, vi, and IntelliJ (and I've probably missed a few of them that I don't remember, not because they weren't good, but because they didn't last past my final choice.)
It comes down to preference. Of all the ones I started with TextPad then Kawa then Forte were probably the best… I switched out Forte for IntelliJ back in 2002 and have never looked back.
We just went through the "IDE War" at work. There are those that love Eclipse and those, like me, that can't stand it. The reason is preference. If you're used to one way of doing things then it's more productive for you to continue to do it that way. I just had an Eclipse user a few weeks ago tell me how he would never use IntelliJ if he could help it. Why? He's used Eclipse for so long it rotted his brain (ok, so the last part was my own ;)) I've been using IntelliJ for so long that I don't ever want to use another IDE, however, I will concede on one thing: While IntelliJ often times has better plugins for the things I use the most (not my statement but other users), it is oft easier to develop Eclipse plugins to do what you want. I used Eclipse once in a blue moon to look at freemarker tags when IntelliJ didn't have support for it. At the same time, as a mainline pusher of Groovy, the IntelliJ plugins have always been more superb.
So, at the end of this post, what's the answer? Try them out and use what feels right to you. If there was one answer then there would never be any other IDEs.
Also remember, Eclipse and NetBeans are free; IntelliJ is about $250 (USD)
timo
I find them all pretty similar: as long as they have the minimum everybody would expect from a modern IDE, you will find out that you can use any of them to do nearly the same tasks, just in a different way.
So don't be afraid, take the first one you like. You won't make the wrong decission.
Many thanks for all your replies - I never realised what a touchy subject it was
So to stay as Neutral as possible, I have looked at several and have picked one of them
Netbeans!
Starnick said:
Core-Dump said:
*hint*hint*, mindgamer uses notapad.exe as IDE :)
Notepad2 ftw ;)
I personally agree with the comments about eclipse. I hate it, but that's what I got weened onto for java development. Too lazy to go with something new and be all lost and confused again ;)
Notepad++!