Because we're talking about absolute beginners here.
You don't just hand someone the entire tool set and expect them to figure it out. You give them a starter set and add features as the students grow comfortable. To me, using an IDE like Eclipse is like handing an aspiring mechanic an expert's tool chest. They're going to spend so much time tripping over functionality that it actually hinders the learning process. Beginners are at an impressionable stage in their development, so fighting with an IDE can actually turn students away.
In addition, keeping things simple reduces maintenance issues for the instructor. For instance, compiling and running code in DrJava just works without configuration. Plus, with the interactions pane right next to the code editor, students can experiment with code without having to go through a compile/run loop.
Ultimately, there's nothing wrong with using Eclipse or any other IDE for that matter. This is just a choice I made from practical experience.
For reference, DrJava has Java 7/8 built in.
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Because we're talking about absolute beginners here.
You don't just hand someone the entire tool set and expect them to figure it out. You give them a starter set and add features as the students grow comfortable. To me, using an IDE like Eclipse is like handing an aspiring mechanic an expert's tool chest. They're going to spend so much time tripping over functionality that it actually hinders the learning process. Beginners are at an impressionable stage in their development, so fighting with an IDE can actually turn students away.
In addition, keeping things simple reduces maintenance issues for the instructor. For instance, compiling and running code in DrJava just works without configuration. Plus, with the interactions pane right next to the code editor, students can experiment with code without having to go through a compile/run loop.
Ultimately, there's nothing wrong with using Eclipse or any other IDE for that matter. This is just a choice I made from practical experience.
For reference, DrJava has Java 7/8 built in.