Appendix A. Using the NetBeans Integrated Development Environment

Although it’s possible to create Java programs with nothing more than the Java Development Kit and a text editor, the experience is considerably less masochistic when you use an integrated development environment (IDE).

The first 23 hours of this book employ NetBeans, a free IDE offered by Oracle for Java programmers. NetBeans is a program that makes it easier to organize, write, compile, and test Java software. It includes a project and file manager, graphical user interface designer, and many other tools. One killer feature is a code editor that automatically detects Java syntax errors as you type.

Now in version 7.0, NetBeans has become a favorite of professional Java developers, offering functionality and performance that would be worth the money at 10 times the price. It’s also one of the easiest IDEs for Java novices to use.

In this appendix, you learn enough about NetBeans to install the software and put it to use in all of the projects in this book.