Java Reference
In-Depth Information
The three most popular Java IDEs, which run on all mainstream platforms and quite a few
niche ones, are
Eclipse
,
NetBeans
, and
IntelliJ IDEA
. Eclipse is the most widely used, but the
others each have a special place in the hearts and minds of some developers. If you develop
for Android, the ADT has traditionally been developed for Eclipse, but it is in the process of
moving to IntelliJ as the basis for “Android Studio,” which is in early access as this topic
goes to press.
Let's look first at NetBeans. Originally created by NetBeans.com and called Forte, this IDE
was so good that Sun bought the company, and Oracle now distributes NetBeans as a free,
open source tool for Java developers. There is a plug-in API; and quite a few plug-ins avail-
able. You can download the
free version and extension modules
.
If you want support for it,
the
Oracle “Java Development Tools Support” offering
covers NetBeans, Oracle JDeveloper,
and Oracle Enterprise Pack for Eclipse—see the “Pro Support.” For convenience to those
getting started with Java, you can download a single bundle that includes both the JDK and
NetBeans, from the
Oracle download site
.
NetBeans comes with a variety of templates. In
Figure 1-1
, I have opted for the plain Java
template.
