NetBeans IDE Freeware Tutorial: NetBeans IDE 5.5 delivers the best of open source and Java technology. The new NetBeans IDE 5.5 opens up a world of possibilities for rapid and efficient cross-platform application development. Packed with the feature-rich fruits of seven years of open source development, it's no wonder InfoWorld named NetBeans the Best Java IDE Innovator for 2007.

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Cross-platform application development with NetBeans IDE

One would think that the concept of integrating standards, protocol, and best practices should pervade every aspect of an integrated development environment (IDE), but application developers frequently discover critical pieces missing from these so-called comprehensive toolsets.

Some development environments require developers to search out plug-ins and specific features, while other IDEs lack professional support options. And many others leave absent crucial features — making software creation difficult, particularly in the development of cross-platform applications. Perhaps most notably, the lack of support for industry standards often slows development and later creates legions of frustrated end-users once a new application built with less-than-integrated toolsets is made available.

With the release of version 5.5, NetBeans IDE overcomes the shortcomings associated with other development platforms and opens up new possibilities for rapid and efficient cross-platform application development. At its core, the NetBeans IDE is a Java development tool written in pure Java technology, so it runs anywhere that runs Java — which, of course, is just about everywhere.