I just finished Programming $1$ and the final project was us creating a program using Java IDE. So I only have a little bit of experience making one. Some of the advantages I found while making it is the autocorrection feature, the ability to plug in from a different IDE and also having the IDE fix your code based on what they think is needed. I would say the only disadvantage to using it would be if you didnt know anything about code in general. Not knowing which words to use or how to separate classes and methods can make it hard. Seeing what the definition of comments are in programming, I dont think they are a waste of time. If they describe whats going on with the functions and logic, I feel as if they are a necessity. All programs are unique and have different ideas and reasoning behind their methods, so the comments being there are to make sure youre reading everything right. My opinion wouldnt change in any instance because I believe a proper guide in unknown terrain is always helpful.