Please see my comments to the answer. OK, let me give you some detail. When I say about Java itself as a build tool, I mean that a Java compiler (source code to
byte code) always comes with Java software. Please see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javac[
^],
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_compiler[
^].
See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_bytecode[
^].
What is "Java software" itself needs some explanation. Java is understood as the
Java Virtual Machine, language, API, SDK — all under the same name:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_(software_platform)[
^],
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_Virtual_Machine[
^],
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_%28software%29[
^],
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_SDK[
^].
So, there is no such problem as the selection of the build software. As to some IDE, it can be different. When I started to lean some Java, I worked without IDE at all, and later wrote my own IDE, advanced enough. The most usual choice is NetBeans and Eclipse:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NetBeans[
^],
http://netbeans.org/[
^],
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_%28software%29[
^],
http://www.eclipse.org/[
^].
Starting up with Eclipse in general case is some hassle, but in case of Java, everything is already packaged for you:
http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/packages/eclipse-ide-java-ee-developers/junosr1[
^].
Good luck,
—SA