Who uses IntelliJ for real commercial projects?

Question

Just a simple question: Would you prefer IntelliJ? If so, what are the Pro- and Cons?

Thx

Answer 1

I'd prefer IntelliJ for any Java project. I'll also point out that ReSharper is a Visual Studio plug-in that provides a lot of the same niceties for .NET. It's also written by JetBrains.

Pros:

1. Smartest IDE I know. Everything works together. It's not a Frankenstein monster stitched together from disparate plug-ins that don't know about each other.
2. Best Spring support.
3. Keeps getting better with every release.
4. Great integration with SVN, databases, Java EE app servers.
5. Local and remote debugging with Java EE app servers.

Cons:

1. Not free. If that puts you off, IntelliJ isn't for you.
2. Swing UI support isn't the best, but I'm not much of a Swing/desktop developer.
3. Not Eclipse. If you're a dyed in the wool Eclipse lover you may not like IntelliJ.

I used Eclipse for many years. I liked it and felt grateful to have something so good when my employer wouldn't lay out any money for tools.

Then I changed jobs and was given IntelliJ. I've never gone back. I buy a personal license every year with my own money so I can use it at home and at work. It's an essential tool for me.

Answer 2

In the software projects that I participate developers use either Eclipse or IntelliJ, simply because they are used to either one of them. No one of my collegues switched the IDE yet, so there does not seem to be a "killer application/feature".

I heard that NetBeans is better than Eclipse, especially NetBeans is supposed to be more stable with regard to plugins - this is the only aspect of Eclipse that really troubles me: You either do not find a plugin that you need (I'm still looking for a Maven plugin that actually works) or installing one plugin breaks another.