Top Reasons to Switch to the NetBeans IDE


The NetBeans integrated development environment (IDE) delivers. The NetBeans IDE can boost your productivity when you're working with Java SE, Java EE, or Java ME technology as well as PHP, Groovy, JavaScript, and C/C++. Visual tools that generate skeleton code are also available, letting you create a basic application without writing a single line of code.

Here are top reasons to use the NetBeans IDE:
  1. Works Out of the Box

    Simply download and install the NetBeans IDE and you are good to go. Installation is a breeze with its small download size. All IDE tools and features are fully integrated—no need to hunt for plug-ins—and they work together when you launch the IDE.

  2. Free and Open Source

    When you use the NetBeans IDE, you join a vibrant, open-source community of thousands of users ready to help and contribute. There are discussions on the NetBeans mailing lists, blogs on PlanetNetBeans, and helpful FAQs.

  3. Connected Developer

    The NetBeans IDE is the tool of choice for teams working in a collaborative environment. You can create and manage java.net-hosted projects, for example; file issue tracking reports using both Jira and Bugzilla, and collaborate with like-minded developers—all directly from within the familiar interface of the IDE.

  4. Powerful GUI Builder

    The GUI Builder (formerly known as Project Matisse) supports a sophisticated yet simplified Swing Application Framework and Beans Binding. Now you can build GUIs in a natural way.

  5. Support for Java Standards and Platforms

    The IDE provides end-to-end solutions for all Java development platforms including the latest Java standards.

    • Java Mobility Support Complete environment to create, test, and run applications for mobile devices. With preprocessor blocks, you can readily handle fragmentation issues. Support for Java Mobility development is the best among all Java development tools.
    • Java Enterprise Edition (EE) 6 support: The first free, open-source IDE to support Java EE 6 specifications.
    • Java Standard Edition (SE) Support: You can develop applications using the latest Java SE standards.
  6. Profiling and Debugging Tools

    With NetBeans IDE profiler, you get realtime insight into memory usage and potential performance bottlenecks. Furthermore, you can instrument specific parts of code to avoid performance degradation during profiling. The HeapWalker tool helps you evaluate Java heap contents and find memory leaks.

  7. Dynamic Language Support

    The NetBeans IDE provides integrated support for scripting languages such as PHP, Groovy, and JavaScript.

    • PHP: With the NetBeans IDE for PHP, you get the best of both worlds: the productivity of an IDE (code completion, real-time error checking, debugging and more) with the speed and simplicity of your favorite text editor in a less than 30mb download.
    • JavaScript: The NetBeans IDE has the JavaScript tools you need: an intelligent JavaScript editor, CSS/HTML code completion, the ability to debug JavaScript in Firefox and IE, and bundled popular JavaScript libraries. Your favorite JavaScript framework will get you 80% of the way, NetBeans IDE will help you with that last 20%.
    • Groovy: In the NetBeans IDE, you can now create Grails applications, integrate Groovy scripts with your JavaSE project.
  8. Extensible Platform

    Start with its extensible platform and add your own NetBeans IDE features and extensions or build an IDE-like application, keeping only features you want. Extending the platform and its Swing-based foundation saves development time and can optimize performance.

  9. Customizable Projects

    Through the NetBeans IDE build process, which relies on industry standards such as Apache Ant, make, Maven, and rake, rather than a proprietary build process, you can easily customize projects and add functionality. You can build, run, and deploy projects to servers outside of the IDE.

  10. Non-Java Code Support

    You're not limited to the Java programming language. You can include many other programming languages, such as C/C++, scripting languages like JavaScript, etc. Even more exciting, define your own language and include it in your projects.

  11. Dedicated Support Available

    When you can't get the help you need from the community, consider Developer Support Packages, which offer programming advice, software support, and training credits.

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