What is the best Eclipse distribution for a mix of Java and Web?

Question

Basically, I want to mix in Java and Web (JavaScript, CSS, HTML, PHP, .NET, etc..) into one. So what is the best IDE for that?

Since I'm a huge fan of Eclipse, I'd like to move from Dreamweaver to Eclipse for my Web Development. I love using Eclipse for Java development but I want to be able to maintain the functionality of Dreamweaver in Eclipse... so I want to incorporate the Web Tools Platform into my environment.

What is the difference between Eclipse IDE for Java Developers and Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers? Could I do Java and Web with Eclipse and if I can, is it done with either of the above 2 packages?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Eclipse PHP Development Tools has all-in-one downloads available here :) http://www.eclipse.org/pdt/downloads/

Make sure to download and install the PHP debugger from that page as well to get the integrated debug working in Eclipse.

I was a die-hard Eclipse fan for years. I used Eclipse since 1.0 and on through to Eclipse 3.4. I was obliged to switch to IntelliJ at work as part of standardization. I have found that IntelliJ has much better support for web development.

I suspect that JetBrains PHPStorm http://www.jetbrains.com/phpstorm/ is probably a very good web development environment based on my experience with IntelliJ for JSF. The JetBrains guys know how to make a good User Experience.

Answer 2

What is the difference between Eclipse IDE for Java Developers and Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers?

Actually, there is a comparison of all packages on Eclipse website. In short, Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers is targeted at server side development and extends Eclipse IDE for Java Developers by including the following additional packages:

• Web Tools - server-side development support
• Java EE Tools
• RSE (Remote System Explorer) - remote (mainframe down to embedded) systems support
• EclipseLink - JPA support
• PDE - for plugin development
• Datatools - database support

(...) so I want to incorporate the Web Tools Platform into my environment.

It is part of of Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers. If you decide to go for Eclipse IDE for Java Developers, you'll have to add it.

Basically, I want to mix in Java and Web (PHP, JavaScript, CSS, HTML, etc..) into one. Could I do that with Eclipse and if I can, is it done with either of the above 2 packages?

I would get Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers (for simplicity sake) and install PDT on top of it.

Answer 3

You can use Yoxos - http://eclipsesource.com/en/yoxos/yoxos-ondemand/ to customize your need.