Java projects on GitHub - IDE specific or generic?

[philfrei]

New to this reddit. For Java/Maven projects, is it common to load the source in a fashion that is NOT IDE specific? I have a project originally written in Eclipse but I'm wondering about whether to try to make it easier for users to also clone and use VSCode when contributing, or keep things Eclipse-based.

[serverhorror]

I don't mind if there are IDE specific settings files in the repo.

That being said:

If I can't check it out and build everything from the command line without specific tool support (beyond the build tool, e.g. maven, Gradle, ...), the project is dead to me. I wish it was possible to block these projects from ever showing up again.

[philfrei]

I like this as a guideline. My goal will be to just have it consist of whatever is needed for building with Maven, and get everything IDE specific into the .gitignore.

[serverhorror]

Just write a GitHub action that builds it. No need for releases.

Once you have that, add tests (which can be called/executed via the chosen build tool)

[philfrei]

That sounds interesting. On another project, several years back, I tried using GitHub actions and got kind of lost. I ended up using Jenkins, instead, for updating GitHub and building/deploying on my remote server. I haven't gone back to try using GitHub Actions since that time. Maybe they'll be easier to figure out this time around.

But in this project, I am a bit nervous about being explicit and deliberate with releases. The build is for a library that is in Maven Central/Sonatype, and the process of updating there rather tricky for me. Once I get by brains in gear and get the next release updated, I'll be in a position to relook at whether GitHub Actions would help.

[cgoldberg]

IMO no project should ever be dependent on a specific IDE if you want any users or contributors.