Two new JavaScript IDEs are now available that you should check out: JSEclipse by Adobe and Aptana by Paul Colton. Both look promising but Aptana looks more promising because it includes a debugger.

For years, I've been searching for a well-rounded JavaScript IDE (Intergrated Development Environment): one that includes code-completion/hinting/folding AS WELL AS A DEBUGGER. I don't know what is the problem with including a debugger.

JSEclipse

For some reason, Adobe appears to have NOT included a debugger in JSEclipse. So let's just say I'm skeptical as to why I would really care about this product. Currently, I use Dreamweaver for JavaScript development, which does not include a debugger either. So why would I switch from Dreamweaver to JSEclipse? And why is Adobe creating competition for Dreamweaver? All good questions that we hopefully find answers to soon. For now, let's take a look at JSEclipse.

JSEclipse was actually created by another company, InterAKT Online, who Adobe acquired September 06,2006. I recall looking at JSEclipse around a year or two ago. I wasn't really impressed. Here's why: it was a hassle to install and it didn't give me anything I didn't already have, really, in Dreamweaver. The main thing that Dreamweaver didn't have, which I badly wanted, was a JavaScript debugger.

Now about my install experience. JSEclipse is an IDE based on the Eclipse platform. Installing an Eclipse-based IDE can be too cumbersome for many developers, unless you are already using Eclipse for other IDEs, because you have to first install the Eclipse platform, which could involve upgrading your Java install, and then you install your IDE. So installing JSEclipse could be a less than optimal experience/setup for some people. I think Eclipse is one of the really great products for some people, who have sufficient reason for wanting more control at the cost of a steeper learning curve. I just want a JavaScript debugger, not a whole platform for building my own IDE.

Now that Adobe offers JSEclipse on Adobe Labs, I don't see any difference/improvements over when InterAKT offered JSEclipse: no debugger, no other apparent advantages over Dreamweaver, and still requires Eclipse. Plus, apparently JSElipse is not free for commercial development, which would be fine if it actually included anything I really need that improved by development environment sufficiently. I'm thinking I'll pass ...

Download and read more about JSEclipse at Adobe Labs

Aptana

My experience with Aptana is better, so far. It includes a JavaScript debugger! It installs using a normal installer! It's free! Already sounds like a winner.

Installation took about two minutes on Windows XP. One minute later, I had a project setup and was testing the debugger with a simple HTML file I created including some JavaScript code. I'm thinking I really like this app. Setting up a project was straightforward. Testing the debugger was straight forward. I didn't read any help files. I just did it. Nice.

After a few minutes of playing around, I did decide to find some getting started tutorials, and I found Aptana TV, a site with several nice video tutorials.

Another cool feature of Aptana is the "error and warning notfication" which shows you coding errors as you type. To appreciate this, imagine that you don't have to validate y our document manually -- it's validating on the fly. And by "it" I mean HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

I'm sure there are many more cool features of Aptana that I will find as I do more extensive testing and use Aptana for development and production work. Right now, all my projects are done using Dreamweaver, so I'll to decide on a project to do using Aptana for some real world testing. But I have to say, I'm excited for the first time in years instead of disappointed with trying to find a JavaScript debugger.

On a closing note, I currently use the Venkman JavaScript Debugger and Firebug. Both are great but are not part of my IDE, so they're a little limiting. I want a debugger that's actually integrated into my IDE. Hopefully, Aptana will be it.

Download and read more about Aptana at aptana.com