The best tools money can buy

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+19 Q:

The best tools money can buy

In my company (which scored 3/12 on the Joel Test) we have access to free software only, so I was wondering what, in the Java EE world, are the best tools money can buy?

For instance, I was painfully debugging some HQL with p6spy when someone told me about hibernate profiler, which is really great and helpful. And I started to think "there is a world beyond free/open source!"

If you have the chance working with the best tools (including free/open source), what were they? Could you live without them? How did they improve your life and your productivity?

Profilers, designers, frameworks, graphical components, and other tools are welcome.

+7 A:

Starting with the basics...

I like eclipse, but I really enjoyed working with IDEA IntelliJ

Laurent K 2010-02-09 16:20:53

+4 A:

I'd argue that in many cases the best tools "money can buy" are actually the open source ones... but that aside, I have a few votes for good commercial tools:

Java Profilers:

I've had licenses for both, and very slighly prefer JProfiler, but they're both very good, IMO.

Code reviews:

Code Collaborator

Excellent for organizing and executing code reviews.

overthink 2010-02-09 16:24:42

Should we assume that you can't buy FOSS tools, or that you can buy them, but the price is just $0?

uckelman 2010-02-09 16:26:46

My plus is for YourKit

nanda 2010-02-09 16:29:58

For me, one of the best investement ever was my pro-account at rememberthemilk.com in combination with my android mobile.

And for those who want "tools" only: The Omondo-UML-Plugin for Eclipse is what I wish I had money for.

bitschnau 2010-02-09 16:25:06

How does this help you with Java EE development?

Pascal Thivent 2010-02-09 16:26:14

Making you more organised?

willcodejavaforfood 2010-02-09 16:41:03

@willcodejavaforfood So I should mention paper and pen?

Pascal Thivent 2010-02-09 16:44:54

@Pascal Thivent - If you wish

willcodejavaforfood 2010-02-09 17:08:02

@Pascal Thivent: well, as a matter of fact you can get both for free. especially pens. :)

back2dos 2010-02-09 17:49:54

@willcodejavaforfood and Pascal Thivent:Indeed, making me more organised. What's wrong with that? Don't be so tool fixed!To quote the OP: "This question is not meant as a contest for the best tool in the world, I really just want to know what tools you use and why you couldn't live without, or how it improved your developper life or your productivity etc.."Got it now?

bitschnau 2010-02-09 19:41:14

@bitschnau - Never said there was anything wrong with your answer. I just stated the obvious to Pascal's question :)

willcodejavaforfood 2010-02-09 19:48:16

I **do** like RTM but the question is not about any tool, it's about Java EE development related tools. Quoting the OP: *in the Java EE world, what are the best tools money can buy ?* Got it now?

Pascal Thivent 2010-02-09 20:09:17

@willcodejavaforfood: Sorry, got it wrong.@Pascal Thivent: Let's not argue about this. I think we made our points clear and for your convenience I added a more JEE related tool. :-)PS: Let's start a question in the community wiki, concerning the point: Where does the Java EE world start and where does it end? :-D

bitschnau 2010-02-09 20:21:14

+5 A:

Source Control

Personally, I don't see any huge disadvantage in going with either Subversion or Git, depending on the way your team does things. Perforce is usually the preferred pay option however.

Issue Tracking

This is one area where I really think commercial solutions shine. I'm an unapologetic JIRA fanboy, particularly when it's combined with GreenHopper for a very robust agile project management / issue tracking suite.

Ryan Brunner 2010-02-09 16:25:33

My plus is for JIRA

nanda 2010-02-09 16:29:30

+2 A:

Some of the tools we use:

Joe 2010-02-09 16:27:19

+1 A:

Oracle database

Aito 2010-02-09 16:27:52

+9 A:

There's no such thing as the best tools money can buy.

No, it's a euphemism for an attitude that rejects the false-economy of putting up with inferior tools for the sake of bean-counting.

Ed Guiness 2010-02-09 16:28:35

Well said, This is the only 'test' I disagree with in the Joel test.

LiraNuna 2010-02-10 02:23:08

@LiraNuna, edg didn't say he disagreed with it. He was pointing out what the rule is really suppose to mean.

Simucal 2010-02-10 02:24:47

+1 A:

YourKit and JIRA are worth every penny. I haven't used any open-source software that comes close to these.

Ken Liu 2010-02-09 18:07:01

+2 A:

An example would be Visual Studio and Visual Assist X.

But it's all subjective. I think what Joel meant is:

Pretend everything is free.
Choose the software you want to use.
If it costs, pay for it.

Andreas Bonini 2010-02-09 19:50:59

ansaurus

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