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PhpStorm VS BlueJ

Compare PhpStorm VS BlueJ and see what are their differences

PhpStorm logo PhpStorm

Professional IDE for PHP and Web Developers

BlueJ logo BlueJ

BlueJ is an Integrated Development Environment for Java, developed mainly for educational purposes...
  • PhpStorm Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-18
  • BlueJ Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-02-04

PhpStorm features and specs

  • Advanced Code Editor
    PhpStorm provides an intelligent code editor with features like syntax highlighting, code completion, and real-time error detection to help you write clean and maintainable code efficiently.
  • Built-in Debugging and Testing Tools
    Integrated powerful debugging and testing tools support multiple frameworks and enable step-by-step debugging, ensuring you can quickly identify and fix issues in your code.
  • Version Control Integration
    PhpStorm offers seamless integration with version control systems like Git, SVN, Mercurial, and Perforce, allowing easy management of your codebase and collaboration with your team.
  • Framework Support
    The IDE supports a wide range of PHP frameworks such as Laravel, Symfony, Yii, and Magento, providing specialized tools and features to streamline development within these frameworks.
  • Database Tools
    PhpStorm comes with built-in database tools that allow you to manage and query databases directly from the IDE, improving your development workflow involving database interactions.
  • Live Edit
    The Live Edit feature enables real-time changes to your code to be reflected in your browser immediately, streamlining the development process by reducing the need for manual refreshing.
  • Cross-platform Compatibility
    PhpStorm is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing a consistent development environment regardless of your operating system.

Possible disadvantages of PhpStorm

  • Cost
    PhpStorm is a premium IDE with a subscription-based payment model, which can be a barrier for individual developers or small teams with limited budgets.
  • Resource Intensive
    The IDE can be heavy on system resources, which may affect the performance of your machine, especially if you are using older hardware.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive range of features and capabilities, new users might find PhpStorm difficult to master and may require a significant time investment to become proficient.
  • Overwhelming for Simple Projects
    The multitude of tools and features can be overkill for small projects or beginner developers who do not need the advanced capabilities provided by PhpStorm.
  • Periodic Updates
    While updates usually bring improvements, the frequency of updates can sometimes cause disruptions or require adjustments in workflows.

BlueJ features and specs

  • Educational Focus
    BlueJ is specifically designed for educational purposes, making it an excellent tool for beginners learning Java. It offers a simplified interface that helps users understand the basics of object-oriented programming.
  • Visual Tools
    BlueJ provides visual representations of objects and their interactions, which aids in comprehension of object-oriented concepts. This feature is particularly helpful for visual learners.
  • Interactive Testing
    BlueJ allows users to interactively test code by invoking methods on objects directly. This provides immediate feedback, which is beneficial for learning and debugging.
  • Small and Lightweight
    Compared to other IDEs, BlueJ is lightweight and simple, which reduces the overhead on system resources and provides a focused environment for learning Java.
  • Simple Interface
    The user interface is straightforward and stripped of unnecessary features, which minimizes distractions for beginners learning to code.

Possible disadvantages of BlueJ

  • Limited Advanced Features
    BlueJ lacks many advanced features found in more complex IDEs, such as advanced debugging tools, extensive plugins, and support for other languages, which may limit its usefulness for more experienced programmers.
  • Not Suitable for Large Projects
    The simplicity of BlueJ makes it less suited for managing large-scale software projects, where more sophisticated features and tools are necessary.
  • Performance Issues
    While BlueJ is lightweight, it can sometimes experience performance issues, especially when handling larger codebases or complex operations.
  • Less Community Support
    As a specialized educational tool, BlueJ has a smaller community compared to general-purpose IDEs. This can limit the availability of third-party resources and community support.
  • Outdated Interface
    Some users may find BlueJ's interface to be outdated compared to modern IDEs, which can impact the user experience.

Analysis of PhpStorm

Overall verdict

  • PhpStorm is considered an excellent choice for professional PHP developers who are looking for a comprehensive and reliable IDE that can handle complex projects efficiently. Although it is a paid software, many users find the investment worthwhile due to the productivity boost it offers.

Why this product is good

  • PhpStorm is widely regarded as a good IDE due to its robust feature set that aids in PHP development. It offers intelligent code assistance, a powerful debugging tool, seamless integration with databases and version control systems, and extensive plugin support. Its user-friendly interface and stability further enhance the development experience.

Recommended for

  • Professional PHP developers
  • Developers working with frameworks like Laravel, Symfony, or Drupal
  • Teams that require collaboration tools
  • Those who need advanced features like code refactoring and testing

Analysis of BlueJ

Overall verdict

  • BlueJ is considered a good choice for beginners and educational settings due to its simplicity and focus on the fundamentals of object-oriented programming. However, for more advanced development or professional use, developers might want to transition to more fully-featured IDEs like IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, or NetBeans.

Why this product is good

  • BlueJ is a popular educational integrated development environment (IDE) primarily used for teaching introductory programming in Java. It offers a user-friendly interface designed to help new learners understand the concepts of object-oriented programming through visual representations, such as object interaction diagrams. Its simplicity and focus on education make it accessible for beginners. Additionally, BlueJ provides features such as an interactive interface, code pad for quick testing, and a limited but useful set of development tools that support the learning process without overwhelming users.

Recommended for

    BlueJ is recommended for high school and university students who are new to programming, particularly those studying Java as their first programming language. It is also useful for educators who are looking for a tool to teach object-oriented programming principles in a straightforward and effective manner.

PhpStorm videos

Testing PHPStorm vs Atom || Code Editor side-by-side

More videos:

  • Review - Introduction to PhpStorm
  • Review - What's New in PhpStorm 2019.1

BlueJ videos

Learning Java: #1 - Setting up BlueJ, Writing HelloWorld...

More videos:

  • Review - Review of BlueJ, Variables, and User Input

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PhpStorm and BlueJ)
Text Editors
73 73%
27% 27
IDE
70 70%
30% 30
Software Development
74 74%
26% 26
Development
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, BlueJ seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

PhpStorm mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of PhpStorm yet. Tracking of PhpStorm recommendations started around Mar 2021.

BlueJ mentions (1)

  • How to include JavaFX in JVM to run a GUI app?
    For the record, I find the teaching IDE BlueJ very easy to use and try things out in JavaFX. It is very light to use as it isn't designed as a normal IDE but you can simply write a JavaFX class and right-click to run as it. Source: almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing PhpStorm and BlueJ, you can also consider the following products

IntelliJ IDEA - Capable and Ergonomic IDE for JVM

Eclipse - Eclipse is an open source community, whose projects are focused on building an open development platform comprised of extensible frameworks, tools and runtimes for building, deploying and managing software across the lifecycle.

Microsoft Visual Studio - Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft.

Netbeans - NetBeans IDE 7.0. Develop desktop, mobile and web applications with Java, PHP, C/C++ and more. Runs on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and Solaris. NetBeans IDE is open-source and free.

Xcode - Xcode is Apple’s powerful integrated development environment for creating great apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Xcode 4 includes the Xcode IDE, instruments, iOS Simulator, and the latest Mac OS X and iOS SDKs.

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft