INDUSTRY

Latest Release Improves Developer Productivity with Support for New Desktop Technologies, Ruby Programming Language and GUI Builder: Sun Microsystems together with the NetBeans community, have announced the availability of the NetBeans 6.0 Integrated Development Environment (IDE) Preview release. NetBeans 6.0 IDE extends support beyond Java and C/C++ by providing a rich set of features for the Ruby and JavaScript dynamic scripting languages, and continues to enable developer productivity with ease-of-use and support for the latest Java Standards. Today they are also announcing further enhancements to the NetBeans GUI Builder which include full support for new desktop technologies, such as Beans Binding (JSR 295) and the Swing Application Framework (JSR 296). Building on NetBeans' history of providing innovative solutions to developers, the NetBeans GUI builder (formerly code named Matisse) continues to revolutionize the way Swing developers build graphical user interfaces. JRuby is included with the NetBeans Ruby support, allowing developers to use Ruby on Rails with existing Java code. Other features of the release include: improved code editing, inspection and navigation capabilities, local history, integrated support for Subversion, and extensive profiling features integrated into the standard distribution. ICEsoft Technologies, Inc., provider of standards-compliant, Ajax-based solutions for developing and deploying Java EE, rich Internet applications, has made NetBeans an important part of their developer offering. "Integrating with NetBeans and the NetBeans Visual Web Pack is a key component of our strategy for acquiring and securing new customers," said Robert Lepack, vice president of Marketing and Product Management for ICEsoft Technologies, Inc. "ICEfaces takes full advantage of the NetBeans Visual Web Pack's design-time capabilities to deliver a true rapid application development environment for Ajax-enabled JSF applications. The NetBeans family of tools is at the forefront of JSF visual development and this is being very well received by the ICEfaces community." In NetBeans 6.0 IDE the complete set of features from packs, such as the Visual Web Pack, will be delivered via a single install program. The new install program will allow developers to easily customize their development environment, choosing only the tools that they need. The single NetBeans 6.0 IDE installer expedites configuration of the developer's environment and no longer requires the installation of multiple packs to add features to the IDE. These new features in NetBeans 6.0 are in addition to the award-winning features provided in previous NetBeans releases that give developers comprehensive support for building Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE), Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE), and Java Platform, Micro Edition (Java ME) applications. "During the last 30 months, we have seen a surge of interest, with adoption of NetBeans doubling each year. We expect the momentum to further skyrocket with the launch of NetBeans 6. This is just another example of the tremendous momentum Sun is experiencing with its open source initiatives," said Jeet Kaul , vice president of Developer Programs for Sun. "With all of the features that are being added and the new install experience, NetBeans 6.0 is the only IDE you need." Technical Support for NetBeans. Sun offers a tiered set of support services for NetBeans software, ranging from single incident to comprehensive developer plans. In addition, with a broad portfolio of training and certification offerings, developers can enhance their skill sets to take advantage of cutting-edge technologies. To learn more, please visit its Web site. Try and Buy program. Starting May 8 and running through June 12, Sun will offer the developer community a free 60-day trial of a complete Sun system for Java and Solaris OS application development, as well as unlimited online developer support to answer programming questions and online developer training courses as two key features of Sun Developer Service Plans. When trial systems are purchased, customers can save 25% off the list price when purchasing a Sun Developer Service Plan package. The service plan includes product phone and escalation support and training credits. For further information starting May 8th, please visit its Web site.