16 Java Compilers

2009-11-29T02:51:00.000-08:00

I started this list just for my own information, and I put it on Web page because I needed the links. But lots of people have found the list to be useful, so I keep it as current as I possibly can. There are actually more than 16 compilers here because some of these links connect you to multiple versions of Java compilers.
I have included the compilers here in no particular order (except that maybe and some have very few. I have something to say about all of them. Whether there are more or less commentary is only because I happen to know more about some of them.
I do not recomend a compiler or an IDE. Everybody has their own personal preference. Me? I use the latest command line version from Sun, but I'm kind of old fashioned.
Sun's latest versions of Java Java comes from Sun, so this is where the latest things come from. You need to download the SE. That's the only version that contains the compiler. You will see the SE also called the Java SE Development Kit, which is sometimes called the JDK. SE stand for Standard Edition.
You should download the SE documentation. The class library is huge, and I would not try to program without this cross reference.
You will also see a download for the JRE. Don't be fooled. The JDK includes the complete JRE, so you don't need to download anything but the SE. JRE stands for Java Runtime Edition. It contains the programs that must be installed for you to be able to run Java programs.
If you want the IDE from Sun, download the JDK with NetBeans.

You will also see a download for the JDK with JEE. You don't need it. If you are going to be doing some advanced programming you may want to get it later, but you don't need it except for special circumstances. EE stands for Enterprise Edition.
You will see a separate download for the SE source code. That's up to you. I have found it handy in the past, and I expect to use it again. But I'm pretty much a nerd.
You don't need the JNI, JCE, JME, or anything else. If you find you need to do some special stuff, you can go check these out later. Any of them can be downloaded separately.

Java for Mac OS X Java comes with Mac OS X, so if you have OS X you already have Java. However, you may need a newer version or some other MacIntosh Java software, and you can get that here. Java runs quite well on the Mac. I have compiled Java programs on both Linux and Windows computers that ran just fine, graphics and all, on a Mac.

jGRASP This is a light weight development environment, and it uses the Java installation you download from Sun. It's sort of a front end. You will need to install the compiler from Sun, and then install the IDE from here. This could be a very interesting approach for those who want to mix the command line with a GUI. It is written in Java, so it is entirely portable and will go wherever Java goes. It can also be used to program C, C++, Objective C, Ada and some other stuff.

Java JXXX Compiler Service This one is very different from the others. You don't download the compiler onto your computer. You supply it the source file and it compiles the program for you. It also will run the program for you and display the windows from it.

The GNU Compiler for the Java Programming Language This compiler creates native executable files from source code in Java, C, C++, Objective C, Fortran, and Ada. This is more for advanced users and is more complete on UNIX than it is on MSWindows.

Eclipse This is an IDE and is free open source. This one also has compilers for different programming languages as plugins. There are hundreds of plugins available and you can find the complete list of more than 500 at this Web site. Much of this IDE is reported to be in early development and I would recommend it only for those who know what they are doing. Even in the early and somewhat rough versions, it is becoming very popular. Operating systems: Linux, OSx, QNX, Windows.

Borland JBuilder A commercial IDE, but free demo downloads are available. If you select 'Foundation' on this Web page you will go directly to the free download. Operating systems: Linux, Mac OS, Solaris, Windows.

Sun Studio One This is a commercial IDE but an evaluation copy can be downloaded for free. Also, it is freely available with with your initial download of Java. It can be downloaded with version 1.4.2 or later of Java from Sun's Java download page. Operating systems: Linux, Solaris, Windows.

Sun Java Studio Creator This IDE is relatively new and has gone into pre-release for free download. This is the drag and drop type development system with automatic code generation. Many folks like to program this way. This is the one that was originally called Project Rave.

Metrowerks CodeWarrior The full name is Metrowerks CodeWarrier Development Studio. This one produces code targeted for several real-time operating systems. It produces code for several systems, and they are always porting it to new systems, so you might want to check their site to determine whether yours is covered. Also, the IDE runs on multiple operating systems, including Linux. And, as you might suspect, since it produces code for different operating systems, you can find several third party utilities that work with it.

Oracle JDeveloper This is an IDE with some specific features the work directly with the Oracle database system. On theirWeb site they also refer to it as the ADF (Application Development Framework). Oracle sells to managers, not to the people that will use the software, so their descriptions are a bit formal and does lots of hand waving, but don't let this put you off--if you are interested download a copy and give it a try.

Jcreator This is an IDE that seems to do lots of things automatically. On the Web site they talk about the fact that it automatically finds files, determines what's what, and generates code for you. There seem to be lots of wizards. All this can either be good or bad depending on how you work. It seems to pop up with code suggestions while you are editing. You can get a free version, or a free demo of the full version. It runs only on Windows systems.

IBM WebSphere This is a Java IDE designed primarily for the construction of Web-based programs, but it can also be used to write applications. It is a commercial IDE, but you can download a free trial version. It is built on top of the Eclipse develompment system listed earlier on this page. Like most things from IBM, the description of it is for managers, so if you want to know how it works you will need to download it an try it. You can get versions for Linux and Windows.

Gel The Gel IDE has a beta version that can be downloaded for free. It's a bit in limbo right now because development and support has stopped. Gel itself on being small and fast while, at the same time, containing all the features you want in an IDE. This IDE is written in Delphi (a Pascal dialect) and runs on Windows only.

intellij IDEA This is a comercial IDE that provides a 30 day trial version. It not only includes the Java compiler and an editor, it has support for J2EE, Ant, JUnit, CVS, refactoring, coding assistence, and code generation tools. Its editor performs structured search and replace based on regular expressions.

IBM VisualAge Discontinued in favor of WebSphere.

Visual Cafe This was once the number one Java IDE, but it has faded. It was sold and then the company that bought it went out of business. It has no location on the Internet that I can find, but I'm going to keep looking. You can actually get copies of the software, and they are very cheap, but you have to find them through Google or eBay or whatever.

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2009-11-29T02:49:00.000-08:00

Looking for a Java compiler? Example Java program? Do you have some sort of strange problem that keeps your program from running? The answer could be here

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16 Java Compilers

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