Java Netbeans is a pretty decent editor for PHP code. I use Linux Ubuntu now for my primary desktop computer, so it’s quite convenient and easy to get running.
One issue is that in default configuration the program is a bit slow feeling.
Doing a quick search I found this page:
http://performance.netbeans.org/howto/jvmswitches/
Which describes a few command line parameters that might help the IDE function faster.
I’m currently running the command “/usr/bin/netbeans -J-Xverify:none -J-Xmx384m -Dsun.java2d.opengl=true”
Basically, it removes one unnecessary verification check, adds 256mb of RAM to the default RAM pool the program can use, and attempt to use OpenGL to render the IDE. I am currently using closed-source video card drivers, so your mileage could very with that last parameter.
You can modify your default system menu link by doing this:
Right-click on the “Applications” dropdown system menu. Select the “Edit Menus” list item.
Click the Programming menu and then the Netbeans X.X icon. There will be a Properties button where you can modify the command being called. Just add the parameters you would like to try out in there.
Overall I feel a noticeable improvement in scrolling, auto-completion pop-ups, and switching between tabbed documents with the limited bit of testing I’ve done so far.