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Corporate developers frequently use Java IDEs, which are among the most capable products available for developers on the market. IBM offers the Rational Application Developer for WebSphere 7.0, or RAD 7. This product is based on Eclipse, the open-source software framework that powers JBuilder products from Borland/CodeGear. While Eclipse began as a Java IDE, it has been repositioned as a framework into which various plug-ins can be added to make all types of tools. RAD 7 adds a number of components to a modified Eclipse base, and many are aimed at enterprise applications. The components include portlet and portal development tools and extensive support for databases. While RAD 7 offers only limited diagramming and modeling, users can develop web services and web service clients, generate WDSL, and perform unit testing against a private UDDI service. JBuilder 2007 from Borland/CodeGear has excellent metrics and code inspection capabilities. It also has excellent tools for team integration. The product operates seamlessly with a wide variety of open-source tools, Java servers, and databases. It can only be used with the Windows operating system at present. Sun Microsystem's NetBeans 5.5 offers excellent tools for collaboration and a very good graphical user interface. It lacks features available in other products, however, as well as integration with enterprise technologies. These omissions diminish its usefulness, compared to the other products reviewed.
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