Personally, I just compile at console level. Typically I'll have two instances, 1 for compiling and the other for running / testing. As you may or may not be aware, java files need to be launched at console level unless you create a jar file with the inclusion of a manifest in order to be able to execute the program at OS level (double click to run) - which is your typical Windows-based executable. Sadly, this is as about as good as it gets for a standalone application with Java.