Reviews : NetBeans 5.5: Java IDE Comes into Its Own :

NetBeans 5.5: Java IDE Comes into Its Own

NetBeans 5.5 is a surprise. I used it for the first time a couple of years ago and swore never to use it again. However, my curiosity was piqued recently as I heard the buzz about the redesigned NetBeans gaining traction in the development community. NetBeans 5.5 is not the NetBeans I threw away a few years ago. This IDE has grown really well and includes features that rival the finest in the market today. There are still a few problem areas (which are discussed below), but overall NetBeans is a production-ready IDE definitely worth a try. With the progress NetBeans has made, expect it to make substantial inroads into the vast IDE market that Eclipse has previously dominated.

System Requirements

• Operating System: Any operating system that supports the Java Virtual Machine
• RAM: 512MB (minimum)—1GB (recommended)
• Free Disk Space: 1GB
• JVM: JDK 5.0 and above

Installation

Another option is to download the Java Application Platform SDK Update 2, which will install NetBeans and the Application Server through a single setup. After you have installed NetBeans, you can install all the add-on packs that you need. For Java EE development, install the Enterprise pack, the Profiler and the Visual Web Pack. If you want to develop C or C++ applications, you will need the C/C++ Pack. Similarly, if you want to develop mobile Java applications, you will need the Java Mobility pack.

Notable Features

• Drag-and-drop-based UI development
• ANT for builds supports
• Integrated version control
• Integrated debugging support
• Enables sharing between developers over the network
• Advanced code refactoring
• Pluggable Profiler
• Built-in XML Editor and XML development tools
• Allows for C/C++ development
• Mobile application development
• BPEL development tools
• Enables UML modeling
• Portal development environment
• Rich client development

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