Java Programming is one of
the most popular object-oriented programming languages. It is a set of software
programs used for developing a software application and deploying it in various
computing environments. One of the prominent features of Java is that it is
platform-independent at both the source and binary levels. Moreover, writing
network programs in Java is quite easy and Java is designed to make distributed
computing a breeze. Java language is used in an array of computing platforms,
such as embedded devices, mobile phones, enterprise servers and supercomputers.
Hence, a plethora of development tools are available in the market to simplify
the application development process using Java. Moreover, a lot of Java tools
are available to improve the efficiency of Java developers so that they can
design products and Java
application development with a better functionality.
List of some important development
tools:
1. NetBeans:
NetBeans is an open source
Integrated Development Environment written in Java and is one of IDR Solutions
favorite IDE’s for Java Coding.
The NetBeans IDE supports
development of all Java application types (Java SE, JavaFX, Java ME, web, EJB
and mobile applications) standard out of the box. NetBeans is modular in design
meaning it can be extended by third party developers who can create plugins for
NetBeans to enhance functionality.
The NetBeans IDE is can be
used to develop in Java, but also supports other languages, in particular PHP,
C/C++, and HTML5.
NetBeans features are an
Ant-based project system, support for Maven, refactoring, version control
(supporting CVS, Subversion, Git, Mercurial and Clearcase) and is also released
under a dual license consisting of the Common Development and Distribution
License (CDDL) v1.0 and the GNU General Public License (GPL) v2.
2. BlueJ:
BlueJ is an integrated
development environment (IDE) for the Java programming language, It has been
mainly developed for educational purposes, but also suitable for those who wish
to do small-scale software development. It runs with the help of a JDK(Java
Development Kit).
BlueJ is mainly developed
for the teaching of object-oriented programming, and its design differs from
other development environments as a result.
The main screen graphically
shows the class structure of an application under development and objects can
be interactively created and tested. This interaction facility, combined with a
clean, simple user interface, allows easy experimentation with objects under
development and this allows beginners to get started more quickly, and without
being overwhelmed.
Newbie users can check on
values and call methods on them, pass them as parameters and more and Java
expressions can be invoked without
compiling meaning BlueJ is a powerful graphical shell/REPL for Java.
3. JSource:
JSource is a free Java IDE
and is a good option for Java developers and programmers.
It is useful for creating
cross-platform java applications for various domains and is extremely
lightweight. You can use JSource to run, compile, edit and create java files.
Its main features are syntax highlighting for multiple languages and Java Swing
components. In version 2.0 of JSource
you can use jEdit syntax package and can incorporate other open source Java
tools used for rapid development. These tools have been modified to work with
the core JSource structure.
JSource is available under a
GNU General Public License version 2.0 (GPLv2).
4. Eclipse:
Despite the increasing
popularity of IntelliJ IDEA, NetBeans, and other IDEs, surveys indicate that
Eclipse is still the preferred development environment for almost half of Java
developers. Eclipse is the Swiss army knife of IDEs, featuring a heavily
customizable interface and countless plugins. It’s so ubiquitous that all of
the other tools in this post provide Eclipse plugins.
Eclipse separates its
workflow into three areas: the Workbench, the workspace, and the perspective.
The Workbench acts as the starting point to the IDE. Workspaces group projects,
files, and configuration settings under a single directory. Perspectives define
the tools, views, and settings available in the Workbench based on the context
of the workspace. Although new developers might find it more difficult to use
than Netbeans or IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse’s flexibility makes it the preferred
IDE for enterprise development.
5. Hibernate
ORM:
Java, being an
object-oriented language, represents data in the form of graphs, which shows a
network of objects linked with and connected to one another. When developers
use a relational database (RDBMS) instead of an object database (ODBMS), it
involves representing data in a tabular format. This causes a lot of problems
to arise, such as defining identity, granularity, data navigation and more.
Here, Hibernate ORM comes to the rescue.
Hibernate ORM is a library
which allows mapping Java classes to database tables. It enables developers to
develop persistent classes using idioms, such as polymorphism in java,
inheritance and association.
- JDK ( Java Development Kit):
I know what you are going to
say, “of course you need a JDK to get started with Java”; but the fact is there
is nothing obvious in programming. If you plan on developing Java based applets
and applications, your first need to get yourself a tool like JDK, which
includes the necessary Java Complier, the Java Runtime Environment, and the
Java APIs. It will help you get started with Java.
These
tools will definitely make life easy for you as a Java developer, but the whole
idea behind using such tools is making an informed decision regarding their
use. Choose a tool that suits your needs and requirements at a given point of
time and it will deliver the returns you are looking for.
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