NetBeans 4.0 Release

An anonymous reader writes "Various news sources are reporting the 4.0 release of the free Java-based NetBeans IDE. You can read the anouncement, or proceed directly to the downloads. Perhaps the most significant improvement is that the IDE's native build system is the latest version of Apache Ant. I see this as a distinct advantage over its competitor Eclipse (and NetBeans is pure Java). If you create desktop applications in Java, you may wish to read up on the NetBeans 'platform' as well. Enjoy."

Comments

The horror, the horror

[Pacifix]

We're required to use NetBeans at school. I end up coding all my stuff in IntelliJ and copying and pasting. NetBeans is much too controlling in terms of all the code it generates for the UI and has always seemed very counterintuitive to me.

Re:The horror, the horror

[flumps]

Actually, netbeans tends to do things the way they are supposed to be done, not the way you think they should be.

Which is what an IDE should do, especially when you are dealing with large projects and need some fomalisation built in to the structure of the project.

IntelliJ may allow you to fudge things a little, but in 6 months time when the project ends would you rather have controlled steady development or a bundle of spaghetti code to deal with and debug?

For example, I love the way you can build a bean add it to the component panel, drag it into your app and adjust the properties on the form in the UI's properties window. It deals with the coding quite smoothly and efficiently and even allows connections to other components on the page in the correct coding methodologies.

My only gripe in the last version (I don't know about this one) is that the way the project is stored - you cannot edit it easily if your form goes "wrong". It also rebuilds the code (even if you change it in another editor) in the uneditable regions for you each time.

Something they may like to consider is to change the project file format to XML so it can be easily altered if the IDE breaks.

Shame...

[finnw]

They haven't improved the speed of the background compilation (that is used to update the code completion database). One of my more complex files (which contains 9 inner classes) still takes about 15 seconds to rescan whenever I change anything.

And theres still no 'exclude from .WAR' option on individual files.

Random netbeans story

[Free_Trial_Thinking]

I was writing a small java program in a text editor for a class project a week ago, and I got stuck conceptually at one point and so I desired to step through the code.
Now not knowing anything about the java world, netbeans came to mind as an IDE that would let me step through the code.
So I installed this netbeans thing and pasted my code in, and I got so confused, it said I needed to have a "project", I tried making a dummy project, then it said all of my class files were missing even though they were right there in the same folder. After an hour of lost time I gave up.

My point? I guess is there anything I can use to step through code that is in-offensive and won't talk back to me? Just a paste your code and go kind of deal?

And a side question, why do my class mates get mad at me when I say I don't like Java?

Re:Random netbeans story

[CaptainPinko]

just create a project and paste your old code in. slowly youll discover the features that make it a killer. here is one type sout and it will spell out "System.out.println(" for you. There are many more and you can create your own. Look for a file called shortcuts.pdf. Oh and really the debugger is bar far the greatest tool in NetBeans. Really, give it a try.

As another student I find most people hate Java (most of them only use what our M$ rep gives them) and I love it because it has a strict world view.

I personally love it when languages enforce things (unlike C for example) because the idiot to misuse a feature will always be in my group.

Alternative

[gninja]

Actually, as far as Java IDEs go, i'm quite a fan of JCreator. NetBeans is a bit too large and slow in my opinion, though it is powerful.

Killer feature: CTRL+L / CTRL+K

[fforw]

For me CTRL+L/CTRL+K was such a killer feature. It cycles forward/backward through a list of words which start with the same chars as you just typed. it's just wonderfull.. completion for any word, be it in code or comments.