Tapas Chand wrote:If you are an absolute beginner, then IDE is complete NO-NO.
I see this as the general consensus around here and I wanted to offer some of my own personal insight on the other side of this.
There has never been a point where I have not used some type of IDE to manage and compile my code - whether it was Visual Studio, Eclipse, or other tools. This has not hindered me from learning the concepts of each language or prevented me from creating usable, compiling code. However, most (but not all) of my learning was done in either a classroom or work environment - put simply, in a place where an IDE was expected and therefore we worked with the IDE and learned not only the code but how to get the most out of an IDE.
Does that mean outside of a classroom, an IDE is bad? Not in my opinion. There are
plenty of methods for learning how to program in Java while using Eclipse. Because you have to learn how to use an IDE as well as program in Java, the learning curve is higher, but the end result is not only understanding the Java language, but how to use the IDE, which is a powerful tool in the right hands.
IDEs are not bad for beginners
in my opinion, but you do need to understand what you are getting in to - and there is going to be more work involved. Understanding that there is going to be additional complexity as you start can help you decide whether you want to start using an IDE or not.