[gentoo-java] Startup advice

[Stuart Howard]

Hi

I am a Gentoo user with an urge to try my hand at coding, java seems
to fit the bill as a language that has cross platform appeal and so
on, you guys know the rest.

My question is this, I want to spend my time learning the language not
the various apps that allow me to do this so what would your
recommendation be for a new starter such as myself.
I seem to have a choice of using either blackdown or the sun packages,
I have read sufficient to realise that the blackdown project was the
original linux port of Sun's Java but Today what would you suggest as
the platform to pick ie. is the Blackdown package well supported under
Gentoo? will updates come promptly when considered stable? or the the
Sun package better supported? and for that matter as a new user would
I be better of with one or the other for a reason I have not yet come
too?
Next up would be an IDE, is Kdevelop good for java or is netbeans a
good choice? again your experiance would be helpful at this stage, the
netbeans site seems to imply that they provide functinality not
available elsewhere will this mean that my code [once I get there ;) ]
be specific to netbeans? or should I go for a fundamentalist approach
and stick to "simple" approach and trusty vim?

Any Gentoo/general points will happily received

stu

ps. You may wonder why I dont just read the websites, well what can I
say but I am doing but inevitablly websites lead to a slanted view,
after all people have spent their valable time to put it up there so
of course they prefer there approach whereas as a list will grab a
broader view on the subject.

--
"There are 10 types of people in this world: those who understand
binary, those who don't"

--Unknown

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