Re: Using Claude Code

Thank you for sharing Blake. I'm no more a professional developer but I hea=
r the same story from my friends who are: with the right AI agents setup -w=
hich takes some effort to build- some developers see their productivity inc=
reased x10.

It's also difficult for me to contribute to Netbeans, though I'd like to. B=
ut I'd be glad to contribute money (donation) to Apache Netbeans to help se=
tting up a robust AI agents infrastructure. It provides a "realistic purpos=
e" for the donation which, I think, could encourage users like me to donate=
. I'm aware that, at the end of the day, you need people to set up the AI a=
gents and oversee them. But maybe it's doable with the few "core" maintaine=
rs ?

As an example, it could start by a documenting task: even if I've been deve=
loping a Netbeans platform app for several years, making changes to Netbean=
s still looks scary to me. Source code often has no comments at all, docume=
ntation is spread in many different places, etc.

My 2 cents.
Jerome

--------
 Le dimanche 18 janvier 2026 =C3=A0 05:20:05 UTC+1, Blake McBride <blake102=
[email protected]> a =C3=A9crit :=20


Greetings,

I thought that sharing my experience with Claude Code might be useful, as i=
t has dramatically increased my ability to repair bugs and implement featur=
es, and I believe it could do the same for NetBeans.

I single-handedly maintain two primary systems. The first is Stack360, a la=
rge web-based system. The backend consists of roughly 9,000 Java and Groovy=
 classes. The frontend is HTML and JavaScript and includes about 300 screen=
s. The frontend and backend communicate over REST. The backend uses Postgre=
SQL with nearly 300 tables, and there are seven distinct frontends communic=
ating with a single backend.

The second system is my KISS web development framework, described at KissWe=
b.org. It is open source, so anyone can examine it in as much detail as the=
y like.

I began using Claude Code to help support, debug, and enhance these systems=
 about six months ago. Early on, I invested significant time teaching Claud=
e Code about my systems, architecture, and coding standards.

Computers understand many languages, and to communicate with them you must =
learn one or more of those languages=E2=80=94Java, HTML, JavaScript, C, C#,=
 Python, and so on. There is a different =E2=80=9Clanguage=E2=80=9D used to=
 work effectively with AI, and that language is English. Teaching Claude Co=
de about my systems and standards is done entirely in plain English using p=
lain text files.

Before using Claude Code, I spent nearly all of my time supporting, debuggi=
ng, and enhancing these systems. I worked seven days a week, roughly twelve=
 hours a day. My only other concern was spending enough time with my wife t=
o keep my marriage on track.

Since training Claude Code on my systems, it now handles roughly 95% of my =
workload. Tasks that once took hours now take minutes. Does it make mistake=
s? Absolutely! But so has every employee I have ever worked with. When an e=
mployee makes a mistake, you must be careful how you present the issue=E2=
=80=94people get offended easily. Claude Code is always available and never=
 gets an attitude.

I pay $100 per month for Claude Code and have never hit a usage limit. I ha=
ve defined several agents, each with expertise in a specific area. Claude C=
ode uses these agents in parallel, with them communicating and collaboratin=
g to solve problems.

Now to how this relates to NetBeans=E2=80=94I apologize in advance for bein=
g blunt.

NetBeans was once my favorite IDE by far. It had the most intuitive interfa=
ce I had ever used. Around the time NetBeans stopped functioning properly d=
uring the Apache transition, I switched to IntelliJ out of necessity. While=
 IntelliJ is far better than IDEs like Eclipse, NetBeans was still the best=
, in my opinion.

Unfortunately, NetBeans has remained unusable for serious work since the re=
work that was done as part of that transition. I would like to help, but I =
simply do not have the time. For me, that is not an option.

For my purposes, the current version of NetBeans is far too restrictive and=
 buggy for real-world use. That is a shame, because I genuinely like NetBea=
ns. For a long time I assumed things would improve. Many years have passed,=
 and in many areas the situation has worsened.

I understand that progress depends on contributions. At present, there are =
not enough effective contributions to drive NetBeans forward in a meaningfu=
l way. Left as things are, I doubt NetBeans will ever regain anything close=
 to its former level of use.

This is where Claude Code becomes relevant. Tools like Claude Code can dram=
atically increase the amount of progress each contributor can deliver. Maki=
ng a serious effort to integrate AI-assisted development into the NetBeans =
workflow could significantly accelerate development. I believe that a subst=
antially more capable and useful version of NetBeans could be produced in a=
 relatively short time.

Like it or not, AI systems such as Claude Code are already replacing large =
portions of what we do. This is happening regardless of personal preference=
. My advice is simple: take maximum advantage of it while you can.

Thanks,
Blake McBride


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