diff --git a/app/src/processing/app/ui/Editor.java b/app/src/processing/app/ui/Editor.java
index 2db1e9ebb..64060dd02 100644
--- a/app/src/processing/app/ui/Editor.java
+++ b/app/src/processing/app/ui/Editor.java
@@ -286,11 +286,17 @@ public abstract class Editor extends JFrame implements RunnerListener {
 
     footer = createFooter();
 
-    upper.add(textarea);
+    // build the central panel with the text area & error marker column
+    JPanel editorPanel = new JPanel(new BorderLayout());
+    errorColumn =  new MarkerColumn(this, textarea.getMinimumSize().height);
+    editorPanel.add(errorColumn, BorderLayout.EAST);
+    textarea.setBounds(0, 0, errorColumn.getX() - 1, textarea.getHeight());
+    editorPanel.add(textarea);
+    upper.add(editorPanel);
 
     splitPane = new JSplitPane(JSplitPane.VERTICAL_SPLIT, upper, footer);
 
-    // disable this because it hides the message area, which is essential (issue #745)
+    // disable this because it hides the message area (Google Code issue #745)
     splitPane.setOneTouchExpandable(false);
     // repaint child panes while resizing
     splitPane.setContinuousLayout(true);
diff --git a/java/src/processing/mode/java/JavaEditor.java b/java/src/processing/mode/java/JavaEditor.java
index 14bf6d560..cf185af78 100644
--- a/java/src/processing/mode/java/JavaEditor.java
+++ b/java/src/processing/mode/java/JavaEditor.java
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@ public class JavaEditor extends Editor {
 
     hasJavaTabs = checkForJavaTabs();
 
+    /*
     // hack to add a JPanel to the right-hand side of the text area
     JPanel textAndError = new JPanel();
     // parent is a vertical box with the toolbar, the header, and the text area
@@ -103,6 +104,7 @@ public class JavaEditor extends Editor {
     textAndError.add(textarea);
     // add our hacked version back to the editor
     box.add(textAndError);
+    */
 
     getPdeTextArea().setMode(jmode);