Asking a site full of Amiga programmers, err I mean users, if they like Java is the same as asking for punishment. Java, as a language, is a good one. Most modern computers can run Java well enough to use it as a substitute for most types of applications.
Java 5 and 6 now has support for direct
input polling (for joysticks, controllers and the like),
OpenGL and
OpenAL through some open source projects by Sun. Java 6 has hardware-accelerated translucent images. These things alone allow you to be in a postition to write decent games in Java.
As far as IDEs go; if you are not very proficient or if you just want great code completion Eclipse (free) or, my favorite, IDEA IntelliJ (commercial with a trial available) are great IDEs. If you know Java in and out a decent text editor like
TextMate for the Mac or
e-texteditor for Windows plus a decent set of JavaDocs will do you just as good.
If you have further questions or need support, PM me.
