Getting Started - Part I (Choosing my IDE)

Where to begin? So far I've installed the ColdFusion Server (Developer Edition). I won't cover that process here since there are a wealth of good tutorials on the web that describe the installation process. Well.. that and the fact that I performed the installation (several of them) some time ago, so its not as fresh in my mind ;) My next step is to choose an IDE.

For development, I decided to use Eclipse with the CFEclipse plugin. I have nothing against Dreamweaver, but decided against using it as my IDE for several reasons.

As I understand it, Dreamweaver is offered under a 30-day trial license. I wanted the flexibility of learning an IDE at my own pace. So in the event that I'm unable to fully explore the application within that time period, I would not have to switch IDE's mid-stream. I also intend to delve into java and explore how I can incorporate it into my ColdFusion code. So overall it seemed like Eclipse would be better suited to my development needs.

Truthfully I do not have much experience with open source software. So the thought of using Eclipse is both exciting and a bit daunting. But time to dive in an see what all the fuss is about.