Net Beans 6.1 Beta

After trying so many IDES starting from AdventNet Bean Builder, Emacs, GVIM, Eclipse & Netbeans, I now find the Net Beans more convenient for my development. Recently I downloaded the NetBeans 6.1 Beta. One thing I like most, is the improved Java Script support. Code completion is more relevant now in 6.1 Beta than in 6.0.1. One other thing I liked is the comment section. Previously when I type enter after opening a comment section with a forward slash followed by two stars (/**) a new line with a star followed by a space (* ) will be added by default. It will look like below.




Cursor will be at the position of the hypen in the above line. If I need to close that comment section, I need to type a backspace and a backslash.

Now in 6.1 Beta if I open a comment section and type enter, the comment section will be completed by default, with some intelligence.

1) If a comment section is opened for anything other than class definition or method definition (one exception to this is a method definition with no arguments and which returns void), it is completed as below and the cursor stays at the position of the hypen.




2) If a comment is opened for class definition, it is completed as below.




If a comment is opened for method definition, it is completed with little more smartness.

3) For a method which takes no arguments and returns an object, comment section is closed as





4) For a method that takes some arguments and returns anything but void, comment section is closed as below.




It is something that is not much to do with any functionalities but is a cool function that caught my interest.

Apart from these, one thing I haven't figured out yet is the collapse and expand code. It is not working as it was in 6.0.1. When you start editing the code, suddenly, the collapse / expand is not functioning. When I close the IDE and start again collapse / expand is back. I guess there is something to be fixed. Let me hope for the fix soon.

Not the knowledge but the Passion

8 years back, I used to wonder at the new software products on the market. That was the time Google was trying their hand on the search, and was the time I was looking out for a job as a fresher. I always used to wonder at the hot new software products and the brains behind that. I really thought one should posses really really a super brain to write applications of that kind, I saw then. I developed a small game in 'C using graphics and sound libraries. It was exiting. And I know how complex it is to animate your objects on the screen.

Soon after I joined my first job, I was in the development of an application thats a kind of a mash of GIS (Geographical Information System) and MIS (Management Information System) using Visual Basic, ESRI Map Objects and MS Access. That was out of the concept of my manager who was doing his Phd in Geology then and truly was interesting for me. I felt how great it is to grow stronger and stronger on technical. After that product, I was writing some automation scripts for some applications.

Then moved to a java based firm which I hardly knew about it before joining. I was astonished to see the energy and enthusiasm I found in there. After spending some good time there I had to give up my perceptions. I just not realized but witnessed that it is no the sound technical knowledge that takes you to deliver the world class products. But it is the passion.

And recently, I happened to look at a framework of a software application. Looking at the code, the application seemed to be so complex. But after spending some good time on the code, i'm sure the framework could be more simpler. May be there is a time crunch or other pressures and more for the quality of the development. But beyond that you need to have some passion to write code. This passion can deliver more than your technical skills. I have personally seen some freshers with not much experience deliver more than the experienced people. And i believe it is only out of the passion.

Office Suites - 'm getting bored

Thought the first blog could be an intro. No.

Ok. Microsoft was on the honey moon for some time. As far as I know, Yahoo was there, and Google entered the game of search. Later, 'm not sure of the order, there was Open Office, Google docs, Zoho etc. You could always witness the constant efforts on Web Office suites, on the Google as well as the Zoho. You can see news like this , this etc. Its not only the race between the newbies, but may be a war against MicroSoft Office or its pricing.

I guess, yes, lot of Office suites offers. Recently happened to see eXpresso a new entry into online spread sheet game. Not sure how many new, you can expect more on the same line.

My personal feeling, there is already lot of bloody competition between the biggies. I would like to see something more interesting than the Office suite offerings.