What's the difference between using an IDE like Eclipse and using a text editor like Atom when making Java programs?
Does the IDE make it easier in any way? Does it pinpoint flaws in your program and tell you why something might not be working the way its supposed to? Why do people even choose to use IDEs as opposed to using text editors?
I'm new to Java, got a background in Javascript. I'm finding Java really difficult because even the smallest errors will lead to 100 other errors and the error messages you get in the compiler are very hard to interpret and figure out.
Would I benefit from using a IDE?
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There's the 3 big ones:
Eclipse
NetBeans and
IntelliJ
All are nice. I'm a big Java noob, but I like NetBeans the best. Can't really tell you why, though :) It's all personal preference.
NetBeans is probably the most RAM-hungry of the three..
Just for the record. If all you want to do is actually just do some minor editing, compile and run, you can do nicely with your favorite editor along with javac from the Java Development Kit (as opposed to the Java Runtime).
Have a look at the Java Tutorial which tells you all you need to know. http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/getStarted/cupojava/index.html