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Java Forum / General / December 2005Which environment?
I am just starting to learn java and my supervisor has told me to go away and decide which environment to use to program in java. What exactly is an environment and what does it matter which one I choose? He seemed to suggest that some had big advantages over others etc. I am going to be writing a couple of applets and hopefully a java application as well. Thanks > I am just starting to learn java and my supervisor has told me to go > away and decide which environment to use to program in java. What > exactly is an environment and what does it matter which one I > choose? He seemed to suggest that some had big advantages over > others etc. I am going to be writing a couple of applets and > hopefully a java application as well. Thanks He probably means that you need to choose your IDE (or editor and compiler), but he could also mean that you need to choose your OS.  Signaturemonique Ask smart questions, get good answers: http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html > I am just starting to learn java and my supervisor has told me to go > away and decide which environment to use to program in java. What [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > application as well. > Thanks I think that most peope will want to recommend you download eclipse. > I am just starting to learn java and my supervisor has told me to go > away and decide which environment to use to program in java. What > exactly is an environment and what does it matter which one I choose? I think these are questions you should have asked your supervisor. 'Environment' can mean a lot of different things. Ok, thanks people. I think he was, as suggested, enquiring as to how I was going to write, compile and debug my code. Currently, I am working through a tutorial which has suggested that I use the JDK and JEdit as the text editor. What are the advantages of using this as opposed to an IDE? I guess you get a better knowledge of the actual code processes but will it take much longer? > Ok, thanks people. I think he was, as suggested, enquiring as to how I > was going to write, compile and debug my code. Currently, I am working > through a tutorial which has suggested that I use the JDK and JEdit as > the text editor. What are the advantages of using this as opposed to an > IDE? I guess you get a better knowledge of the actual code processes > but will it take much longer? I believe learning java will go much faster without IDE. And, at the beginning, even coding may be faster, because you just type what you see in the textbook, and you won't be tempted to go through the long lists of methods and properties to find what you want. When you're more experienced, using an IDE can speed up your work tempo, but not at the beginning. Search this group for "IDE" "text editor" "beginner tools" and similar, there are a lot of lengthy discussions about exactly this topic. SignatureBeware the False Authority Syndrome > Ok, thanks people. I think he was, as suggested, enquiring as to how I > was going to write, compile and debug my code. Currently, I am working > through a tutorial which has suggested that I use the JDK and JEdit as > the text editor. What are the advantages of using this as opposed to an > IDE? I guess you get a better knowledge of the actual code processes > but will it take much longer? IDE's generally have a much steeper learning curve, whereas some like jEdit is good for a beginner because it's just 'type and compile' programming. "steve_marjoribanks@hotmail.com" <steve_marjoribanks@hotmail.com> wrote: >Ok, thanks people. I think he was, as suggested, enquiring as to how I >was going to write, compile and debug my code. Currently, I am working >through a tutorial which has suggested that I use the JDK and JEdit as >the text editor. What are the advantages of using this as opposed to an >IDE? I guess you get a better knowledge of the actual code processes >but will it take much longer? As a general rule programmers will advise you to suffer the same primitive environment that they suffered ten years ago. It was difficult so, like bad tasting medicine, it must have been good for them. A modern IDE will write large portions of the program for you but it's main advantage for beginners is in debugging. First, it will compile your program as you write it so you can correct a line of code before you start the next one. It will show you the appropriate part of the programming manual as you are entering your text so that you do not have to search for the alternatives you don't (yet) know. It will let you run a single method rather than the whole program so you can check that it works before you incorporate it into your program. If something goes wrong it will take you to the error line with a click of the mouse. If there is an error in your logic you can step through the program one line at a time and examine the variables as you go. It is possibly instructive to write a trivial "Hello World" program with a text editor and the command line compiler. After that, choose an IDE. There is some extra work learning it but it is well worth it. If you already know one IDE learning the next one is easy. My thoughts on what I consider to be a complete list of "real" Java IDEs is here <http://profectus.com.au/ee_JavaIDE.html>. > [...] > It is possibly instructive to write a trivial "Hello World" program [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > My thoughts on what I consider to be a complete list of "real" Java > IDEs is here <http://profectus.com.au/ee_JavaIDE.html>. I do all my development with emacs, a makefile (or ant) and bash. It's super-fast, without distracting features. I can't imagine working without grep & co. However I admit that designing a GUI is easier with an IDE. Francesco >> [...] >> It is possibly instructive to write a trivial "Hello World" program [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >super-fast, without distracting features. I can't imagine working >without grep & co. grep is included in all the IDE's. I admit that you would have to do without doctor. :) If you already know the programs you list I can believe that you are super-fast but for someone who does not, a Java IDE has far fewer "distracting features" than Emacs, ant and bash and most IDE's will look the same using any operating system. >However I admit that designing a GUI is easier with an IDE. Indeed. And NetBeans has made it even easier with Matisse <http://www.netbeans.org/kb/articles/matisse.html>. I'm hoping that GroupLayout will be the only layout manager I need to understand. > I am just starting to learn java and my supervisor has told me to go > away and decide which environment to use to program in java. What [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > application as well. > Thanks He probably means an IDE - Integrated Development Environment. Typically this is an editor (a place to type your code), a debugger (to get logic errors out of your code), and a compiler (I hope you already know what that is). And most IDEs offer a lot of extras like JUnit integration (to create tests on parts of your code), refactoring (improving the design and readability of your code after it's written), code completion (the IDE helps you by giving lists of possibilities), etc. It may sound like all these things are a great help - and in fact they are, for experienced programmers. For beginners, I (and many others) suggest you use only a good text editor, no IDE. You can justify this to your supervisor with 2 main arguments: 1. learning an IDE is non-trivial, and should not be combined with learning a language; 2. when learning it's better to find things out for yourself, and not have the IDE point out what you did wrong. For more arguments, have a look at this group's archives, this question comes up a lot. For a good text editor, I suggest textpad: http://www.textpad.com/ If you still want an IDE, have a look at these: http://www.eclipse.org/ http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/download.jsp (netBeans) http://www.bluej.org/ SignatureBeware the False Authority Syndrome > I am just starting to learn java and my supervisor has told me to go > away and decide which environment to use to program in java. What [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > application as well. > Thanks As others said he is probably talking about your choice of editor or IDE. We have already had this discussion here at least three times just in the last week. You might want to look at these threads: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.java.programmer/browse_thread/thread/cb a4375d9b14c277/933ae6050b7813e8 http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.java.programmer/browse_thread/thread/2e eb9a296b777cb9/24cc4f1677b9b907 http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.java.programmer/browse_thread/thread/41 11467faa0469ad/e70e83affd5df1fd He may mean which platform (hardware/OS) do you want to use. You can pretty much use any of the mainstream ones (Windows, Linux, BSD, Solaris, OS X) equally productively. Dan. SignatureDaniel Dyer http://www.dandyer.co.uk Free MagazinesGet these publications absolutely FREE for up to 12 months. There are no hidden fees and no obligation. Simply choose a title, complete the application form and submit it. Read more ...
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