How to customize NetBeans look and feel

A good overview of possible options for custom look and feel in NetBeans can be found here:

http://javahowto.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-to-customize-netbeans-look-and-feel.html

Apart from original tip concerning MetalLookAndFeel, the above is a nice source of ideas, which I like a lot. :-)

Debugging PHP with NetBeans and XDebug

A small tutorial from NetBeans' Knowledge Base:

http://www.netbeans.org/kb/docs/php/debugging.html

Run NetBeans using custom Look&Feel

Original at: http://wiki.netbeans.org/FaqCustomLaf

After installing NetBeans on Ubuntu one simply needs to add the relevant launcher to a panel, and then modify the command, for example:

/bin/sh "/opt/netbeans-6.5/bin/netbeans" --laf javax.swing.plaf.metal.MetalLookAndFeel

(all in one line, of course)

Creating Extensible Applications With the Java Platform

http://java.sun.com/developer/technicalArticles/javase/extensible/

OpenOffice.org API Tutorial

A useful feature for many business applications is functionality
allowing the user to generate reports from data in an application.
Spreadsheets are ideal for this purpose. Not only does a spreadsheet
lay data out in a structured, scanable format, but it also gives the
user the opportunity to quickly and efficiently perform calculations
on data. As it happens, the OpenOffice.org API exposes a very wide
range of classes and methods that let you, the developer, integrate
the OpenOffice.org spreadsheet application, called Calc, into your
application. A simple click of a button in an application can start
up OpenOffice.org and transfer the application's data to a
customized spreadsheet.

http://platform.netbeans.org/tutorials/nbm-open-office.html
http://blogs.sun.com/dancer/entry/regarding_openoffice_org_development_with
http://blogs.sun.com/roumen/entry/netbeans_podcast_episode_30

NetBeans: Introductions to the Open-Source Project, More Than an IDE

http://www.developer.com/open/article.php/3685826