I was wondering what program to use to create&test programs written in Java. Currently all I can think of is writting it in notepad and having a page in HTML link to the file...

There are also several IDE's which all mainly interface with the command line for the latest J2SE (Java Development Kit) to compile, and then also provide several tools to visually edit AWT/Swing forms, on top of providing API 'Smart Tags' and creating and ending code statments as well as automatically properly indexing. This being on a normal level the features list goes on but those are more of common features found in almost all Java IDEs. So which ones are there? Here's the most popular/recent:

NetBeans IDE 3.5.1
Link to Webpage: http://www.netbeans.org/
Link to Download: http://www.netbeans.org/downloads/ide/index.html
Creator: Sun
Cost: Free
Breif Description: This one is probably the most used, its also formally known as Sun ONE Studio and before that Forte for Java. It was created by Sun, is now open source and Sun is still the sponsor for NetBeans. Though if you have < 512MB of Ram it will take time to load, it has alot of features and it definitly worth having on your computer no matter what kind of java development you do.

WebSphere Studio (Application Developer) (V5.0 Latest Final Release) V5.1
Link to Webpage: http://www-3.ibm.com/software/info1/websphere/index.jsp?tab=products/studio
Link to Download: http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/websphere/downloads/WSsupport.html
Creator: IBM
Cost: Varies apon licensing. Free trial available.
Breif Description: Created by IBM and highly used by java developers, WebSphere comes with an entire studio of application development tools, web development tools and an application server. Im sure you could find it through school licensing for incredibly cheap, it is worth the trial but if you dont feel like paying for something like this, then you may be better off using NetBeans IDE. I do recommend to anyone serious about java they do try this, however if youre just starting out you may not want to confuse yourself trying to get familiar with multiple IDEs.

+1... Thanks alot man this is perfect.

I was actually going to make a new post, but I use (and love) NetBeans, which I know you can get from somewhere on java.sun.com, but stupid Hostile is too fast! :(

[quote author=iago link=board=34;threadid=3760;start=0#msg30738 date=1069540988]
I was actually going to make a new post, but I use (and love) NetBeans, which I know you can get from somewhere on java.sun.com, but stupid Hostile is too fast! :(
[/quote]

hehe, the sibling(moderator) rivalry has begun!

Actually there is something you can help me with if you are familiar with it.

I created a new file, and it won't let me compile the code I wrote for some reason, and I don't think I understand how the programs are supposed to be put together, or 'something'. I see 'create project' and 'link files' and stuff like that all the time, is there something I should know about Java?

No no no....

As I am a 550mhz computer user, I have to chime in on performace.

NetBeans is slow. Eclipse is a bit better (www.eclipse.org). You could also try a native IDE....www.jcreator.com. My favorite development environment is XEmacs and Jikes.

What's an IDE? I never knew there was anything outside of vi and javac...

;)

Honestly though, I live on Eclipse when I have to code on my work's desktop. Advice: try all the ones you hear about, and decide on your own.

gl

We use an altered version of KDE's KWrite as an IDE at university so thats maybe what I use at home too. But I've also used Borlands JBuilder, which despite being a Borland product, isnt all that bad.

[quote author=Orillion link=board=34;threadid=3760;start=0#msg30791 date=1069551548]
... But I've also used Borlands JBuilder, which despite being a Borland product, isnt all that bad.
[/quote]

ahh.. I love borland. I use Borland JBuilder 9 Enterprise. Cracked it myself. I wrote a small gui that writes a valid license file to my ~/.borland directory. A cool side-effect is that my little program will crack any Borland product :-X

:)

[quote author=xsemaphorex link=board=34;threadid=3760;start=0#msg30941 date=1069617484]
[quote author=Orillion link=board=34;threadid=3760;start=0#msg30791 date=1069551548]
... But I've also used Borlands JBuilder, which despite being a Borland product, isnt all that bad.
[/quote]

ahh.. I love borland. I use Borland JBuilder 9 Enterprise. Cracked it myself. I wrote a small gui that writes a valid license file to my ~/.borland directory. A cool side-effect is that my little program will crack any Borland product :-X

:)
[/quote]

JBuilder is nice, but in almost all situations for people whom have spoke highly of it, it was more based off personal preference of JBuilder then statistics/facts. I personally don't like it but it is capable and although I say this about most IDEs, worth checking out.