Netbeans IDE
My first time using NetBeans, it was barely an IDE. Actually, it was just a platform that allows Java Developers to test their JavaBeans on. Running on Java 1.3.
So, since 1.3 to the end of Java 1.4, I have been using a simple IDE called Gel. Gel’s developers have stopped development since the launch of Java 1.5, and actually becomes non-usable since Generics was released. So I have been on the search for another IDE. At one point, I tried the famous Eclipse IDE however was extremely disappointed at the slow responses Eclipse have. JDeveloper was not a bad solution, however I personally am not very comfortable with using something that is branded with Oracle with MySQL or PostgreSQL.
After jumping into bed with several Java IDEs, I’ve decided to give NetBeans 6.5.1 another try. This time, I think I am set for my Java Development. It not only have a decent speed while loading up, it supports two other languages that I use all the time, C++ and PHP.
I personally think NetBeans have come a long way, one of the most amazing tool is the GUI interface. I recall that back in the days of Java 1.4, to create a typical Java GUI, I must code the the GUI piece by piece in code. However with the GUI interface editor, drag and drop with double clicking to code. This made GUI design and GUI coding A LOT easier then when I was learning Java.
To obtain the Netbean IDE please go to http://netbeans.org/. and download the version that fits your developmental system.