Sun Microsystems, the creator and leading advocate of Java technology, announced a free preview version of enterprise-class Java application development tools for Apple's Mac OS X. This new Universal application, the NetBeans Enterprise Pack 5.5, enables developers to quickly create advanced Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) applications that run on both Power PC and Intel-based Macintosh systems. The NetBeans Enterprise Pack 5.5 includes a preview version of the NetBeans 5.5 IDE, the award-winning open source development tool project sponsored by Sun, as well as new tools for developing the latest set of time-saving features for Enterprise SOA architects and programmers, including visual SOA design features for XML schema editing and Web Services Orchestration. "The NetBeans Enterprise Pack 5.5 offers Apple developers a complete out-of-the box development experience for moving to a Service Oriented Architecture," said Jeff Jackson, senior vice president of Java Development and Platform Engineering for Sun. "By providing this complete package for the Mac OS X platform, we are delivering enterprise class capabilities that we think the large and enthusiastic Apple developer community will find extremely compelling and unique." "Apple has transitioned half its product line to Intel and there are now well over 1,000 Universal applications available," said Ron Okamoto, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. "We're delighted to see Sun offering a Universal Java application development pack to help drive a new generation of enterprise class solutions." The comprehensive UML development technology featured in NetBeans Enterprise Pack 5.5 has previously been available as part of the Java Studio Enterprise IDE. By making it freely available, Sun is providing Apple developers with capabilities such as support for the UML 2.0 specification, bi-directional model to code synchronization and marker-less code generation. The all-in-one NetBeans Enterprise Pack provides Apple developers with a consolidated and integrated bundle of tools and functionality, as well as open standards and cross-platform ease of use for enterprise class applications on the Macintosh. Also included in the NetBeans Enterprise Pack 5.5 is a preview release of the Java Platform, Enterprise Edition 5 SDK, Sun's latest version of the industry-standard application server platform. Combined with the advanced features of the award-winning NetBeans IDE and the enhancements for SOA development, the package enables developers to enjoy new creative capabilities with the latest Java technology standards, including Enterprise JavaBeans 3.0 and JavaServer Faces 1.2 technologies. This new release is the forerunner of the next version of the Sun Java Studio Enterprise IDE, which recently won "Best SOA IDE" in SYS-CON Media's Readers' Choice Awards. NetBeans Software Day The third annual NetBeans Software Day is a free event taking place on Monday 15 May 2006 at the Argent Hotel in San Francisco. James Gosling, the father of Java technology, and other Java technology luminaries will be present to discuss the NetBeans software and the future of Java developer tools. There is no charge to attend this event and attendees do not need to be registered for the JavaOne conference. Space is limited. On the Net: its Web site.