The nice thing about Eclipse IDE is that you don't need to install it. When you download Eclipse you get a zip file that you can unzip to somewhere in your home directory and just execute it from that directory.
If you will visit the Eclipse downloads site you will see a list of available packages where you can choose the Eclipse IDE for C/C++ Developers (32/64 bit) and download the zip file.
You'll also get the latest version (v3.7.2) which is newer than what you'll find in the repository.
For 11.10 and newer
First, create a .desktop file to eclipse:
gedit ~/.local/share/applications/opt_eclipse.desktop
Then, paste this inside (dont forget to edit Exec and Icon values):
[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=Eclipse
Comment=Eclipse Integrated Development Environment
Icon=** something like /opt/eclipse/icon.xpm **
Exec= ** something like /opt/eclipse/eclipse **
Terminal=false
Categories=Development;IDE;Java;
StartupWMClass=Eclipse
After that, open that folder with nautilus:
nautilus ~/.local/share/applications
If you want to use this launcher outside dash/launcher (ex: as a desktop launcher) you need to add execution permission by right clicking the file and choosing Properties -> Permissions -> Allow execution,
or, via the command-line:
chmod +x ~/.local/share/applications/opt_eclipse.desktop
Finally drop opt_eclipse.desktop to launcher.
Best Answer
Download one of the available Eclipse bundles from the official site. I got
eclipse-SDK-3.7-linux-gtk-x86_64.tar.gzExtract it
Or just be lazy and Right Click > Extract Here
Move to
/opt/folderCreate an eclipse executable in your path
copy the following into /usr/bin/eclipse
save the file (^O = Ctrl+o) and exit nano (^X = Ctrl+x)
Create a gnome menu item
copy the following into /usr/share/applications/eclipse.desktop
save and exit nano
Launch Eclipse for the first time