11-08-2011, 01:38 PM

Hey everyone. I was wondering if anyone here could help me find a good java interface that a beginner programmer would find easy to use. At school we are currently using JCreator but unfortunately that does not support Mac OS X. I have downloaded Eclipse but I have found it difficult to use and am looking for a new solution. I was thinking of just programming on one of my windows books and calling it a day but just wanted to see if I could get something working on the MacBook. Thanks for all your input!

11-08-2011, 01:46 PM

I've found Eclipse quite easy to use but that may just be me. What about it is causing you issues?

You could look into Netbeans which, like Eclipse, is cross-platform. You could also look into something like TextWrangler.

11-08-2011, 03:20 PM

I have been having trouble figuring out how to open an empty java file so i can start a new program. I'll look into the ones that you mentioned too. I also may look into finding a tut on youtube showing the basics of eclipse.

11-08-2011, 03:32 PM

Eclipse works by managing projects. To create a new project, go to File > New > Java Project > give it a name. The project will be created.

You now need to create a class. Right click the src folder > New > Class > give it a name > Finish. That's it. Click the run button in the toolbar to run it.

11-09-2011, 09:16 AM

Thanks man, now I think I'll be good. I'm still not used to how Eclipse works so until I get acclimated to it, I think I'm just gonna stick to Jcreator on the Win box for the majority of my programs. Thanks again for your help.

11-09-2011, 10:27 AM

No problem. One thing that might draw you to Eclipse (honestly, I'm not trying to push you to Eclipse, haha) is the ability to easily move projects between operating systems since Eclipse is cross platform. In fact, you could put the Mac and Windows version on a USB key along with your Eclipse workspace and you would have everything to need to work in both OSes on a single USB key.

Honestly though, whatever works best for you is what you should use. Editors/IDE choice is all about what is most comfortable for you.

11-10-2011, 10:33 AM

I can vouch for text wrangler. It's a bit simpler to work with but if you are going to school for programming I'd go ahead and start teaching yourself Eclipse it will be worth it in the end.

11-10-2011, 11:38 AM

It seems like with Eclipse I need a more advanced knowledge of the Java language so I think will start teaching myself Eclipse once I stop get stupid errors for things like missing semicolons etc. haha

03-19-2012, 01:54 AM

Don't know if you're still having this problem, but I learned started learning Java with Dr. Java. It's very basic and bare-bones. It doesn't have any of the bells and whistles that Eclipse does, which is kind of good when you're learning Java.