\n\n\n\nPick the tool that makes you faster on a Tuesday afternoon when the bug list is longer than your coffee is hot.
At the keyboard with three contenders
\n\n\n\nI have three icons on my desktop right now. Eclipse. NetBeans. IntelliJ IDEA. All three open a project just fine. All three know Java 5 quirks. All three promise smarter editing, refactoring, and debugging. Picking a Java IDE in this crowd is not about a checklist. It is about how it feels to live in it every day, and how quickly it helps you move from a vague thought to correct code.
\n\n\n\nThere is chatter on mailing lists. Some folks swear by Eclipse because of the plugin cornucopia and the speed. Others are cheering NetBeans thanks to Matisse and its clean project model. Then there are the IntelliJ fans who whisper about code inspections like they are magic spells. I have spent the last week bouncing among the three, same codebase, same tasks, same mood. Here is what stood out.
\n\n\n\nA team story from a real codebase
\n\n\n\nAt work we maintain a chunky web app with Tomcat and JBoss targets, a bunch of Ant scripts, and a slow test suite. We are moving to generics where it counts and we keep strict about warnings. The team is mixed. Some are Eclipse regulars. I favor IntelliJ IDEA for refactoring work. A teammate is pushing NetBeans after a demo of Matisse that had the whole room nodding. The plan is simple. Everyone picks one IDE for the sprint and we compare notes honestly.
\n\n\n\nBy midweek we noticed something. The IDE that makes you smile depends on the task you do most. The person wrangling UI forms said NetBeans felt like cheating. The person juggling five projects and writing plugins in their spare time kept grinning in Eclipse. I had a long date with IntelliJ renaming classes across modules and it felt like the IDE was reading my mind. That is the frame for the rest of this write up.
\n\n\n\nUnder the hood: Editing, refactoring, and language chops
\n\n\n\nAll three IDEs understand Java 5 and do it well. Eclipse 3.1 is quick with content assist, offers Quick Fix for imports and generics, and the Organize Imports feature is the kind of small joy you miss only when it is gone. Navigation is first rate. Jump to declaration, call hierarchy, type hierarchy, and even a clean outline view that you start to depend on. Refactorings cover the hits. Rename, extract method, extract interface, move, inline, and change method signature. It is fast and the preview is clear. If you live in code all day, Eclipse feels like a light editor with a brain.
\n\n\n\nIntelliJ IDEA 5 feels like a reviewer who sits next to you. The inspections run in the background and nudge you with useful hints. Turn a loop into a collection call. Spot a probable null problem. Suggest a better generic bound. The rename and move refactorings thread through code, XML, and even web descriptors with calm confidence. Live Templates give your fingers a short path to common patterns. Navigation is pricy in the best way. You move from method to test to resource like you have a secret map. If your days are full of refactoring and reading code, IntelliJ is a clear win.
\n\n\n\nProjects, builds, testing, and debugging
\n\n\n\nProject setup is where personalities show. NetBeans keeps a straight forward project model that mirrors Ant. It writes build.xml you can read and run outside the IDE without drama. That is comfort food for teams that keep builds on the command line. The Ant view is simple and smart. You can run targets with a click and send properties without gymnastics. JUnit support is solid across all three, but I liked the NetBeans test results view which keeps failures tidy and jumpable. Debugging is steady. Breakpoints, watches, and step filters are all there and stable.
\n\n\n\nEclipse shines once you hook up to more tools. The Ant support is deep and the External Tools launcher lets you wire in scripts and extra commands with ease. If you are flirting with Maven 2, there are plugins to help, though they still feel young. The debugger is sharp and very fast, and the Hot Code Replace tends to work as long as you are not changing method shapes. On the IntelliJ side, the Run Configurations are a joy. Attaching to Tomcat or JBoss, setting VM flags, or splitting app profiles is quick and clear. The smart step into logic you care about and the stack trace hyperlinks make test driven work feel natural.
\n\n\n\nUI builders, servers, version control, and plugins
\n\n\n\nThis is the part where NetBeans can steal a show. Matisse is a clean and friendly Swing builder. You drop components, they snap into place, and the code it writes is readable. For teams with desktop apps or admin tools, this can cut real time. Eclipse leans toward SWT and JFace and there is a visual editor project for Swing, but it still feels like work in progress. IntelliJ has a form designer that is steady and keeps code tidy, though it is more plain compared to Matisse. If UI is your life, you owe NetBeans a serious look.
\n\n\n\nOn servers and source control, they are all fine with a few edges. Eclipse talks CVS out of the box and Subversion through Subclipse which is decent. IntelliJ ships with strong CVS and Subversion support and its diff viewer is a pleasure. NetBeans has CVS built in and Subversion via a plugin that is moving quickly. For app servers, all three tie into Tomcat easily. JBoss and GlassFish are workable with plugins or setup wizards, though setup feels smoother in IntelliJ right now. As for plugins in general, Eclipse wins on sheer volume. If you like tweaking your toolbox, Eclipse is your playground. If you like fewer moving parts and a strong baseline, NetBeans and IntelliJ feel calmer.
\n\n\n\nPicking based on what you do all week
\n\n\n\nHere is my short advice that has aged well across projects. If you build large multi module systems, bounce between languages, and enjoy customizing your setup, pick Eclipse. It is quick, it scales, and the ecosystem is a treasure hunt you will enjoy. If your world is Swing and you want a straight road from Ant to packaged app with a slick UI builder, pick NetBeans. Matisse is the real deal and the project model keeps things simple. If you spend your days cleaning code, moving pieces around, and living in tests, pick IntelliJ IDEA. The small touches in editing and inspection pay back with interest day after day.
\n\n\n\nLicensing matters too. Eclipse and NetBeans are free to download and keep forever. IntelliJ asks for a license which might be a hurdle for some teams. If your time is worth anything and you are the primary refactorer on the team, that cost can pay for itself in a week. If you are strapped and need zero cost, Eclipse and NetBeans are both strong and honest choices.
\n\n\n\nPerformance and feel
\n\n\n\nOn my ThinkPad with a gig of RAM, all three start in a reasonable time. Eclipse feels light and snappy once warmed up. NetBeans has improved a lot and stays responsive as long as you do not keep ten projects open. IntelliJ sits in the middle and tends to feel quick during heavy refactoring and navigation. Memory wise they can all grow if you push them. Spend a minute on your VM options and watch your heap in the status bar. Nothing kills flow like a frozen editor.
\n\n\n\nStability has been good. I had one Eclipse crash after a plugin binge. I had NetBeans pause during a long parse after pulling a big branch. IntelliJ had a hiccup with a third party Subversion server until a small update fixed it. None of these were show stoppers. Keep to stable builds and do not stack random plugins before a deadline.
\n\n\n\nThe quiet lessons that matter
\n\n\n\nThe real answer to Choosing a Java IDE is not a single name. It is a checklist of needs and a plan. Make a week long test with your current project. Do the exact tasks you will face next month. Try a change method signature across modules. Run a large test suite while the debugger listens. Wire up Ant and maybe Maven if you are moving that way. Deploy to Tomcat and JBoss. Try a quick Swing panel in Matisse and in the other two. Take notes on speed, on the small paper cuts, and on the spots where the IDE helped you think. Then decide.
\n\n\n\nMy picks for today are simple. Eclipse for big plugin friendly work and polyglot projects. NetBeans for UI heavy apps and teams that want a clear Ant first setup. IntelliJ IDEA for people who refactor before lunch and after coffee. The names are less important than the fit. The best IDE is the one that keeps you in flow when the test fails and the phone rings. That is the tool you want on a Tuesday afternoon.
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