Java IDE

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From: John Sinteur
Subject: Java IDE
Date: 17:20 on 30 Jan 2004
I was asked to see how well some java application runs on Windows. 
Well, since that isn't my regular platform, and since I've been 
developing for far too long, the first thing I did was look for a good 
IDE, specifically for the debugger. I just know I'm going to run into 
trouble, so why bother trying to compile it first? Might as well get 
the buzz-saw lined up to dissect the thing right from the start.

So I went looking on that newfangled interweb thingy and downloaded 
JBuilder from Borland. They want your email address on registration[1], 
but that's what they invented hotmail for.

So i dragged my source directory into the project builder. Well, color 
me naive, I guess I've used my Mac for far too long. Doesn't work. An 
hour of wrestling later I've got all my sources imported. Looks like 
whoever cooked up this thing expected all projects to start from 
scratch in their tool, and _it_ will tell _you_ when it thinks a new 
file is required. Brilliant.

Anyway. Time to hit compile. No go. It fails to resolve symbols to 
things that are clearly available in the project, in the right place no 
less. After a few hours of hair pulling I learn from a friend that my 
source files need to be in certain places on disk, exactly matching the 
class hierarchy I already painstakenly defined IN the source files.

WTF? My cvs repository is going to love this when it hears about it.

So here I have a tool that has all the info it needs, but because I 
didn't present it in a way it likes, it balks. I think it is about to 
get the hose again.

So I'm looking for a different tool[2], because if I give in to this 
kind of crap I might as well rename  my hard disk "Macint~1" and be 
done with it.

I remember emitting a loud snicker when Java was released and described 
as 'cross-platform', but I didn't expect this particular kind of 
suckiness...

Sheesh... and I didn't even get to hug my wolf today...

-John
[1] hint for marketing droids at Borland reading this [3]: I'm 
evaluating  your product. If I end up buying it, you *may* get my email 
address in the registration. If I don't, you can safely conclude I 
never want to hear from you again. Either way, you do NOT need my 
e-mail address right now. Sod off.
[2] yeah, might as well try ant or plain javac and see what happens. 
I've heard of cross-platform java compiles that work right away.. 
although there's usually a "Not!" sprinkled around sentences that 
describe those occurrences... but that's another hate for another day.
[3] yeah, right.

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