NetBeans vs. Eclipse

Both NetBeans and Eclipse IDE are usable for Java Enterprise Edition (EE) Web service development. You can download the NetBeans Java EE 5 Tools Bundle and get the NetBeans IDE and the Sun Java System Application Server in one package. With Eclipse, you can download the Eclipse IDE installation bundle and the Eclipse WebTools Project installation package.

With either IDE you also need to install the Java Runtime or the Java Software Development Kit.

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Both NetBeans and Eclipse IDE are usable for Java Enterprise Edition (EE) Web service development. You can download the NetBeans Java EE 5 Tools Bundle and get the NetBeans IDE and the Sun Java System Application Server in one package. With Eclipse, you can download the Eclipse IDE installation bundle and the Eclipse WebTools Project installation package.

With either IDE you also need to install the Java Runtime or the Java Software Development Kit.

The NetBeans/Sun combination works well out of the box and lets you get started a little more quickly than the Eclipse/WebTools combination. Also consider which application server you will use in production. NetBeans is a better choice if you use the Sun application server in production, while Eclipse works better with WebSphere.

Neither IDE has an advantage over the other when used with other application servers (in production, at least). NetBeans has a visual GUI builder in the base package download, while Eclipse users need to install the Visual Editor separately.

Try them both and pick the one you feel most comfortable with through the tutorials. Then join the great debate online once you've formed your own opinion.

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