[quote name='Ashaman73' timestamp='1349702586' post='4987985']
A very good and free IDE is eclipse IDE for java.

Eclipse is pretty much the Java IDE least like Visual Studio...
[/quote]

If you have a real beast of a machine Eclipse is pretty darn kickass for Java. (Its slow as .... on the average PC though which is by far its biggest flaw), The semi-automatic fixes for common errors and superior code completion is imo the best thing since sliced bread and something i really miss when i work with C# in Visual Studio. I wouldn't mind it being a bit less slow though.

If you have a real beast of a machine Eclipse is pretty darn kickass for Java. (Its slow as .... on the average PC though which is by far its biggest flaw), The semi-automatic fixes for common errors and superior code completion is imo the best thing since sliced bread and something i really miss when i work with C# in Visual Studio. I wouldn't mind it being a bit less slow though.

I don't doubt it. But at least when I looked at eclipse (maybe 4 years ago), the whole project layout and navigation was closer to Emacs than Visual Studio. I'm not saying anything about its effectiveness, just that as a user interface it is drastically different.

Dude InteliJ . it's just like visual studio for java. it's crazy

Given the choice between syphilis and using Eclipse, I would be hard pressed for which I would choose.

There are only two major problems with NetBeans a) it's not as supported as Eclipse by 3rd parties b) it is run by a company that makes Satan look nice.

IntelliJ is certainly worth checking out as well. I am a big fan of their other IDEs ( I use IntelliJ for LUA coding and WebStorm for JavaScript development ), so my next Java project, I am certainly giving it a shot. The only real downside to the JetBrain stuff is, it's got that "made with Java ugly" thing pasted all over it. Something about cross platform Java UIs just screams ugly. Going from coding in Sublime Text to coding in IntelliJ is like trading in a Playboy model for an extra from Kitty Boo Boo.

Eclipse itself is a usability nightmare ( one of the worst, least thought out UIs I have ever seen ), fragile as hell ( it's the only IDE I have ever encountered that broke my code, repeatedly ) and vastly over complicated. I know there are people that swear by it, but me, I mostly just swear at it. I just know that any project I am going to be working with Eclipse, I need to allocate X amount of time troubleshooting Eclipse related problems, an experience I have literally never experienced since the original Visual Studio .NET.

Oddly enough though, you strip all the Java out of Eclipse and it becomes a much more pleasant experience. Appcelerator Titanium and Aptana Studio are both derived from Eclipse and much more pleasant to work with, although still needlessly complicated at times.

If you have a real beast of a machine Eclipse is pretty darn kickass for Java. (Its slow as .... on the average PC though which is by far its biggest flaw) (...) I wouldn't mind it being a bit less slow though.

Obligatory "Well, its coded in Java!" comment

I'm currently using Eclipse. Some of the things are a bit convoluted (right click, fill the screen with options) but I like it, the code completion, warnings and hints with direct links to Oracle Docs are very practical.