Linux Java Development?

[Patrick C]

Thanks, all, for your suggestions!

I've actually tried a little BlueJ at school, and here's what I think of it
+good for testing, IMO, because it makes it very easy/user friendly, and
it's easy to make input.
-very annoying to actually type out code in, because the editor is in a
separate window, annoying layout, etc.
+very easy to see what classes refer to each other, nice graphical
representation, etc.

I do, in fact, have multiple desktops. Thanks to the SabayonLinux team, I am
actually running XGL, so I have that sexy cube, as well ;).

On the grander scale, here is what I gather from your (everybody's advice):
-focus on the language, or programming logic itself, but not the IDE
-keep up with the advancements, as it can make things a lot easier.

Also, I know I'm already using the IDE as a crutch when I don't know the
commands to run(compile?) Java source without clicking some sort of run
button. What is the actual command for this?

Also (again): does anyone have an opinion of GTK vs. Qt? The class prior to
this was Windows Programming, which I assume was there just to learn some
very basic programming concepts the easy way with vs.NET. In that class I
made a simple GUI Hangman game. I'm interested in rewriting/cloning this for
Linux, and I'm not sure where to start.

Thanks again for the prompt responses, keen interest, and solid advice!


On 9/18/06, Joseph Sinclair <plug-discussion at stcaz.net> wrote:
>
> In a high school class, it does make sense to use a Java IDE, but you need
> to know a little bit about several different ones, since learning the IDE is
> a very poor substitute for learning the language.  I wouldn't worry too much
> about what's popular now, since within a couple of years just about
> everything will have changed significantly.  Focus on learning the practice
> and art of software engineering (programming is a small bit of that), and
> you'll be able to apply that learning to whatever language and/or platform
> you encounter in the future.
>
> For Java IDE's, Pull down both Eclipse and Netbeans, both are well written
> and have a lot of features.  The beauty of free software is that you can
> easily have multiple options, and switch among them for different
> tasks.  For learning ONLY, check out the BlueJ IDE, it has a lot of
> limitations, but it also has some innovative features just to make learning
> Java easier.
>
> For general learning Java tasks, I agree that it's good to pull out a
> generic text editor (Bluefish works well in Linux, JEdit is another good
> choice, and it's cross-platform) and do some Java coding there, particularly
> for class lessons.
>
> If you have a Linux desktop available, it helps a lot to have a couple
> virtual desktops active, that way you can have a Firefox session with the
> Javadoc open (lots of tabs helps here) without cluttering your coding
> desktop.  Even after developing Java systems for the past 8+ years, I still
> have to have the Javadoc open when coding, just because there's no way to
> keep the whole thing in my head all at once.
>
> If you're taking a class, be careful with the API they teach.  Some
> classwork still uses old obsolete classes from 1.1 (i.e. vector,
> hashtable, etc...).  Make a point of studying the java.util package,
> there's a LOT of really good stuff in there that can make your life a whole
> lot easier.
>
> ==Joseph++
>
> Eclipse  : http://www.eclipse.org
> Netbeans : http://www.netbeans.org
> BlueJ    : http://www.bluej.org
> JEdit    : http://www.jedit.org
>
> Patrick C wrote:
> > Hi, everybody! I've been reading the PLUG mailing list for a while now,
> and
> > I was wondering if any of you have a recommended IDE for Java
> development.
> > I'm just taking a programming course at my local highschool, but I'd
> > like to
> > really learn one Linux IDE now, because I have two more Java classes
> after
> > this, and I'd like to be familiar with just one. At school we use
> JCreator.
> > I'm poking around with Eclipse JDT right now, but I'm still wondering if
> > any
> > of you folks have a preference.
> >
> > Suggestions?
> >
> > --Patrick C.
> >
> >
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