Coding and Debugging

Do you use a Java IDE, or just an editor and the command line?

Up until just a few years ago, I was still using the old-fashioned method of writing code in a simple editor, and compiling it from the command-line. Then, I would launch the application from the command-line, and watch the output of my System.out.println calls to analyze what was happening.

That was rough.

I did this because, at the time, Java IDEs were either too expensive, or just too clunky, to use. This was especially true if you were doing Servlet or EJB development that required an application server to launch your code.

Even when Eclipse came on the scene, I avoided it because I assumed my experience with it would be like all the previous IDEs I'd used. I was resistant to even waste my time reading about it to find out that my preconceived notions were wrong.

Source-level Debugging

As it turned out, I was wrong. Eclipse, and then NetBeans, boosted the Java development process lightyears ahead. These IDEs are fast, straightforward to configure, and easy to use. You can very quickly and easily code and debug (at the source-code level) your projects, whether they're standalone Java SE applications, or they require some form of a server to launch them. Source-level debugging is a powerful feature; being able to step through code in a Servlet or an EJB can save you loads of time compared to the println method of debugging.

I wonder how many people are still using the editor/command-line method of coding and debugging? If you're one of them, and you feel you have a good reason to stick to that method, share it with me and your fellow readers. Perhaps you can be persuaded to try an alternative to make your life easier. Or, conversely, perhaps your reasons for avoiding an IDE are valid. Your feedback might help to shape future versions of these IDEs to work for you and others like you. Feel free to respond to this blog, or send me an email at eric@ericbruno.com

-Eric

Posted by Eric Bruno at 02:27 PM  Permalink