There are a whole bunch of free IDEs out there that you could use with Java:
And there are more, I just listed those that I have tried. You can also use Text Editors as an IDE, some of those even have code completion now.
So which Java IDE should you use?
Well, I use IntelliJ. I even paid for it, which is something that I never thought I’d do for a Java IDE - I do use it for pretty much all my development work: JavaScript, HTML, XML etc.
But that doesn’t mean you should use IntelliJ.
First thing I recommend you do is:
- look around and see what people on your team are using
Because chances are you are going to need some support when you start learning Java, and chances are the first people you are going to ask will be the people on your team.
If you are using the same IDE as the people you are asking for support then you have one less barrier getting in the way, and one less thing adding noise to your problems.
Warning: Don’t ask people what you should use. Instead ask what they use. But do it on an individual by individual basis, and in secret, otherwise you’ll start an IDE development flame war
All the IDEs are very good. Some will work faultlessly on your machine, and some won’t work. So if you encounter initial setup issues, then try another IDE, you might find your problem vanishes.
Over time you will start to get a feel for what problems are caused by your code, and what problems are environmental related to your machine + your IDE.
P.S. But I use IntelliJ.
