Being new to the Java scene, one of the first tasks in picking up Java is determining an IDE to use. The main contenders seem to be Eclipse, Netbeans, and IntelliJ IDEA. I cannot say one is universally better than another, but when trying to evaluate them for our needs a few things stuck out. Eclipse Pros Can do anything, be anything with the proper plugins. Free Cons Everything requires a plugin, all of which have differing levels of quality, stability, and usability. ...
In a stunning turn of events I get to be a Java developer for a while. We have a big client project (which we are all very excited to work on) that has to be done in Java as dictated by the needs of the client, which I can understand. It seems most people seem to go from Java to .Net, but for me it's the other way around. It will be interesting to see the other side of the fence. It's a little intimidating, but I'm excited by the opportunity to learn a new (to me) technology. ...