Netbeans IDE - Popular Linux Code Editor

NetBeans is a Java-based software development platform. It is the most popular Linux code editor available today for Java, C, C++, and PHP development, and it includes many pre-configured code templates and code generation tools for faster development support.

Netbeans is a cross-platform application that runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Oracle developed and distributed NetBeans, which is a platform of modular components used for developing Java desktop applications. Oracle also creates the Java programming language and offers NetBeans support.

Netbeans Features At A Glance

Netbeans for Linux

Netbeans is an extremely useful IDE for developers. It’s available for almost every major operating system, including Linux. So, if you want to speed up your coding, have fun with it.

Beginner Friendly

Netbeans is a graphical code editor for Linux that has a user-friendly interface. If you’re a beginner Java programmer, NetBeans makes it simple to create projects, run programmes, and search for keywords. Windows and menus are easily accessible, and the full-screen mode is especially useful on small screens. If you are importing other NetBeans projects, importing projects is very simple.

Java Hints and Find Bugs integration

NetBeans gives feedback on code quality, potential errors, and syntax errors. It also has first-class support for Find Bugs integration, which aids in the detection of potential bugs in the code. If the keyword is used during a coding session, NetBeans will suggest built-in functions and modules.

NetBeans Visual Library

“The NetBeans Visual Library offers a collection of reusable, predefined, and extensible Java components known as “widgets.” Each built-in widget has a different set of features, such as actions, layouts, and borders. You can quickly and easily visualise data to the user by combining widgets. The NetBeans Visual Library, when combined with other NetBeans APIs, allows you to create interactive UIs with drag-and-drop features commonly found in designer software.”

Plugin manager

The Plugin Manager is used to add support for new GUI development and debugging features. NetBeans Plugin Manager is an excellent tool for adding support for new features and APIs.

NetBeans Debugger

NetBeans’ debugger works well with multithreaded applications. NetBeans will detect thread deadlocks among suspended threads when you switch between them. Instead of having to drill down into a tangle of containment references, the debugger’s code snippet evaluator allows you to define methods for formatting the output of complex objects while debugging, so you can display the objects in a more readable form.

NetBeans Visual Library

If you have a problem, NetBeans has excellent community support. Community interaction is extremely beneficial in resolving problems. Questions should be directed to the community forum (https://netbeans.org/community/).

This article will also show you how to install this Linux code editor on Ubuntu. This installation is also compatible with other Ubuntu derivatives such as Linux Mint, Zorin OS, Linux Lite, and others.

How To Install Oracle Java

OpenJDK is included by default in Linux distributions, but it does not work well with NetBeans and has bugs, so Oracle Java must be installed.

Oracle Java can be installed from the following PPA –

$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/java
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install oracle-java8-installer

Then you can check Java version using the following command –$ java -version

java version “1.8.0_101”
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_101-b13)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.101-b13, mixed mode)

In Webupd8 ppa repository also providing a package to set environment variables, Install this package using the following command.

$ sudo apt-get install oracle-java8-set-default

How To Download & Install Netbeans

Netbeans can be download from here –

NetBeans have different bundles. You can choose the bundle of your choice. I am going to download Java SE. ​

How To Install Netbeans In Linux

First of all open terminal (ctrl + alt + T) –

​cd into the folder where you downloaded Netbeans setup file.

$ cd Downloads

Then we need to execute the installer. After that installer will appear –

During installation, you will require to provide the path of Oracle Java when it asks about JDK.

/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle

​And that’s all. You can now launch Netbeans from dash or application menu.

​How To Uninstall Netbeans

For Complete removal of Netbeans 8.1 execute the file uninstall.sh. It will be in the location /usr/local/netbeans8.1

$ sudo ./uninstall.sh

Conclusion

NetBeans is an excellent way to get started with Java coding. It is extremely beneficial for beginners to learn. NetBeans has an advantage over other IDEs in that it is developed by Oracle and receives the most up-to-date features first. However, NetBeans is not as smooth as Eclipse. When compared to other IDEs, it is resource hungry and requires a lot of memory. NetBeans does not support Android development, which is why most people are gravitating toward the world of Java. NetBeans is a good place to start learning Java, but those interested in Android development should move on to Android Studio because NetBeans is not the right place.