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SpaceMonkey · 07-16-2004, 07:04 AM

I started using NetBeans about 1.5 years ago and swore by it to everyone, especially for GUI development.

About 6 months after using NetBeans, I started hearing more about Eclipse and how it was the fastest growing IDE for java development and how it made life easier, etc... I downloaded v2.x (only stable version at the time) and played around with it for a little bit. I didn't really like the way you got around in the interface and the concepts of perspectives and views was a little confusing at first. So I went back to NetBeans for a while.

About 6 months later I was hearing a lot more about Eclipse, specifically the 3.0 miletstones. So I decided to give it another try and build a small project with it to learn why it was so good.

I am now an Eclipse convert. The breadth of tools available and the way they are organized (once you get used to it) is awesome. Once I got my mind away from the NetBeans IDE, which was like every other IDE in the past 10 years, I was easily more productive.

Now I'm building an internal J2EE project with it and it has saved me tons of time and is a joy to use.

I haven't had any experience developing a GUI app with Eclipse, but I have a feeling that unless you use SWT, NetBeans is still probably better.

Disclaimer: I haven't used NetBeans in over 6 months, so newer versions may be much nicer than the last version I used and I don't have anything against anyone using NetBeans. The best tool for the job is the one an individual developer is most comfortable using. I know J2EE developers writting the whole app in VIM. I choose Eclipse. To each their own. Tolerance is an amazing thing.

07-16-2004, 07:04 AM	#7 (permalink)
SpaceMonkey Registered User Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 7	Eclipse I started using NetBeans about 1.5 years ago and swore by it to everyone, especially for GUI development. About 6 months after using NetBeans, I started hearing more about Eclipse and how it was the fastest growing IDE for java development and how it made life easier, etc... I downloaded v2.x (only stable version at the time) and played around with it for a little bit. I didn't really like the way you got around in the interface and the concepts of perspectives and views was a little confusing at first. So I went back to NetBeans for a while. About 6 months later I was hearing a lot more about Eclipse, specifically the 3.0 miletstones. So I decided to give it another try and build a small project with it to learn why it was so good. I am now an Eclipse convert. The breadth of tools available and the way they are organized (once you get used to it) is awesome. Once I got my mind away from the NetBeans IDE, which was like every other IDE in the past 10 years, I was easily more productive. Now I'm building an internal J2EE project with it and it has saved me tons of time and is a joy to use. I haven't had any experience developing a GUI app with Eclipse, but I have a feeling that unless you use SWT, NetBeans is still probably better. Disclaimer: I haven't used NetBeans in over 6 months, so newer versions may be much nicer than the last version I used and I don't have anything against anyone using NetBeans. The best tool for the job is the one an individual developer is most comfortable using. I know J2EE developers writting the whole app in VIM. I choose Eclipse. To each their own. Tolerance is an amazing thing.