Java IDE Comparison

From JavaWIDE

The table below will help those new to JavaWIDE understand the unique benefits of the Java Wiki Integrated Development Environment. The primary target audience of JavaWIDE are those looking for a free IDE aimed at helping novices who also want a zero-install IDE. The section in green is where JavaWIDE most differentiates itself from other IDEs. Descriptions of the categories are listed below the table.

Java Programming Tool	Free of Charge?	Made for Novices?	IDE?⁰	No Install Needed?¹	Collaboration Supported?²	Code Completion?³	Version History?⁴	Open Source?⁵	Auto Code Formatter?⁶	Debugger Provided?⁷
JavaWIDE	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$
Alice (not Java)	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$			$\checkmark$			$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$
BlueJ	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$						$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$
CodeLab		$\checkmark$		$\checkmark$
Dr. Java	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$					$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$
Eclipse	$\checkmark$		$\checkmark$			$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$
Greenfoot	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$						$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$
JGrasp	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$						$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$
JavaBat	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$		$\checkmark$
JJ		$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$
NetBeans	$\checkmark$		$\checkmark$			$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$	$\checkmark$
Java Programming Tool	Free of Charge?	Made for Novices?	IDE?⁰	No Install Needed?¹	Collaboration Supported?²	Code Completion?³	Version History?⁴	Open Source?⁵	Auto Code Formatter?⁶	Debugger Provided?⁷
If you would like your IDE listed here, it needs to be free and/or aimed at novices. Send the JavaWIDE development team a link to your IDE and a categorization. If your categorization indicates that the IDE does not need to be installed, please provide a link and instructions for how to run your IDE.

⁰This category indicates that the tool supports generating any type of program, graphical or console based, and is not restricted to the practice of completing predefined code segments.

¹These tools need no installation provided a web browser with the Java JRE are already installed (as is the case on most modern computers).

²These tools enable collaboration by allowing students and teachers to share the viewing and editing of code automatically as part of the environment.

³The code completion here is defined as offering a list of all the methods and fields that are available for a given object.

⁴Version history indicates that every time a program is saved a version is stored. Every prior version can be viewed and reverted to when desired.

⁵Open source tools here indicates that the source code can be examined, reverse engineered and modified.

⁶Automatic code formatting here indicates that there is support for activities such as indentation, parenthesis/quote/braces matching, and syntax highlighting.

⁷The debuggers here must allow the programmer to go through the code a step at a time and examine the stack trace and/or values of variables.