I have recently been in this same situation myself. I followed the steps from here https://www.openhab.org/docs/developer/ to set up my environment. It didn’t take too long to get my environment set up and I was able to compile/build a binding.
If you aren’t familiar with git/github, it isn’t hard to start. You don’t have to be an expert on git to use it. Just fork, create a branch on github, then clone to your computer, and check out that branch, and away you go.
I use Visual Studio Code. Some people prefer eclipse ide. Try both and see.
Converting a 1x binding to 2x would be the hardest part of it all.
Do you use Windows, Mac or Linux for your main workstation / computer?