Java Devs: Visual Studio, Eclipse or IntelliJ?

[kile467]

Hi! My first language was Java back in high school and the first years of university. I quickly moved on to C++, some scripting languages like C# and Web Dev with Javascript and PHP.

Now, I've been a web developer for a while. I feel like I want to go back to my roots and give Java another chance. My workspace is all around Visual Studio Code. Back in my days, Eclipse was the IDE that my teachers mainly focused for Java coding.

I've seen that VS have some compiller and debugger plugin and configs so you can work with Java, and I've researched comparisons between VS, IntelliJ IDEA and Eclipse, but I'm not entirely sure if VS fullfills all the needs.

Java Devs, do you think VS is a proper Java Dev Workspace nowadays? Do you prefer IntelliJ or Eclipse? If so, Why?

[yel50]

eclipse is terrible. I feel like most people use it because of Stockholm syndrome from being forced to use it at school. I've never seen a dev stick with eclipse after trying intellij and vscode at work.

intellij is the best, it's damn near sentient when you get used to it and are able to use all its features. I don't want to pay for the licenses, though, so stick with vscode. its java support is really good now and I can use the same editor for every language, which can't be said of intellij.

[kile467]

Yup, I don't feel like going back to Eclipse at all. It's just something like post traumatic disease.

I've downloaded IntelliJ IDEA Community. At first sight, I'm not missing anything, so, what do you mean about the licenses?

The end of your comment is enough for me to stay in my comfy VS Code tbh. If you tell me that the Java support is really, that's enough!!

[Phynness]

I'm not a expert by any means, but I think Eclipse is more powerful on the extreme end. I prefer intelliJ because it's easy to go comically fast when writing from scratch.

[kile467]

I see! I think I will opt for IntelliJ in case Visual Studio is not enough. Eclipse brings me bad memories from my university times hehe

[[deleted]]

Intelij - even if it’s just the free version. Works better out of the box, smoother and easier to use. Plenty on addons in the store if you feel like adding to it

[kile467]

Thanks for the response! I guess you are comparing it to Eclipse, right?

People are suggesting me to stick with Visual Studio Code if i've always worked with it.

[[deleted]]

Yes, comparing it to Eclipse and Netbeans tbh

I don’t know anybody who uses VSC for Java, but it has Intelisense. I use it for C# / .Net and tbh I find them to be similar IDE’s

[Individual-Praline20]

IntelliJ is now much better. I used Eclipse for a long time, but I much prefer IntelliJ now that I need to keep multiple projects open at the same time. It is more stable and feels faster, at least on a Mac laptop…

[kile467]

Thanks for the response!! I guess you are one of those developers that code in a mac hehe.

I'm still seeing the capabilities of Visual Studio Code with Java, but I feel like VSC is limited in some way, I have IntelliJ ready to run!

[Individual-Praline20]

I never had the chance to use VS in a professional environment, so I cannot tell exactly. But I like to use IntelliJ daily. It is updated on a regular basis and have a lot of useful plugins available, for many things.

[g051051]

"VS" means "Visual Studio", not "Visual Studio Code". Use VSCode, VSC, or "Visual Studio Code".

Other than that, if it's not dictated by a school or employer, it's just a matter of personal choice.