Press Release

Sun Unveils NetBeans 4.0 at NetBeans Software Day Event; James Gosling, Tools Cto, To Keynote

SAN FRANCISCO - 2004 JavaOne(sm) Conference - June 29, 2004 - Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW), the creator and leading advocate of Java(tm) technology, today announced release 4.0 of the NetBeans(tm) project. The NetBeans 4.0 IDE will have the capability to develop full Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition (J2EE(tm)) applications, including support for Enterprise JavaBeans(tm) (EJB(tm)) technology and Web services, as well as mobile development support. Other release 4.0 highlights include a new Java technology performance profiler based on patent-pending technology originally developed at Sun Labs and refactoring capabilities based on Dr. James Gosling's Jackpot project.

These new capabilities represent a contribution by Sun of approximately 350,000 lines of code valued at $14 million from its commercial Sun(tm) Java(tm) Studio Standard integrated development environment (IDE) to the NetBeans open source project (www.netbeans.org).

Sun made these announcements at the inaugural NetBeans Software Day, a gathering of NetBeans developers and partners being held today in conjunction with the 2004 JavaOne Conference. The NetBeans Day features a keynote by Dr. James Gosling, chief technology officer for the Developer Platforms Group at Sun.

"The NetBeans Software Day is the best place in the world to be for every member of the NetBeans community, from partner organizations to NetBeans contributors," said Gosling. "We're learning about the latest developments in the NetBeans version 4.0 software and sharing knowledge, ideas and insights that will lead to even more innovation in open source computing with Java technology."

The keynote will feature the upcoming 4.0, release which is expected to be available in Beta by the end of July. Representatives from leading companies including AccuRev, Enerjy, HiT Software, HP, InsiTech, Iopsis Software, Ivis Technologies, Nexaweb, Nuance, RefactorIT, MAKE Technologies and Quest Software will give presentations on their use of NetBeans technology.

NetBeans Project Now Delivers Full J2EE Technology Development Capabilities
With Sun's contribution of the capability to develop J2EE technology applications, NetBeans now spans the full range of Java technology development � from mobility, to desktop, to Web services � with one open source IDE. Building on the existing JavaServer(tm) Pages software, Java servlet extension and JSR-45 compliant Java Standard Tag Library support, NetBeans now supports full J2EE technology development capabilities including EJB components. When combined with the Java Web Services Developer Pack and a deployment runtime like the Sun(tm) Java(tm) System Application Server (a component of the Sun(tm) Java(tm) Enterprise System) NetBeans provides the ideal IDE for secure, interoperable Web services.

Performance Profiling Technology Added to NetBeans
The new NetBeans profiler project will allow developers easy access to CPU and memory usage data.

"Performance profiling tools are a critical piece to the overall development process for large Java technology applications," said Steve Wilson, engineering director for NetBeans technology and lead author of the book Java Platform Performance. "By making a set of state-of-the art performance tools available at zero cost, deeply integrated into the IDE, we will allow thousands of developers to take full advantage of the Java platform."

NetBeans 4.0 Software Preview Gosling also is expected to demonstrate the forthcoming 4.0 release at the event. Technology from the Jackpot project will serve as the basis for NetBeans' new refactoring features, which will help provide simplified code maintenance for developers. Technology from Sun Labs will also provide a foundation for the next-generation source code analysis and transformation features that will be included in future releases of the NetBeans project.

For mobile developers, release 4.0 will provide expanded support for Java(tm) 2 Platform Micro Edition (J2ME(tm)), including Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) 2.0 and Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC) 1.1, and support for the J2ME Wireless Toolkit (WTK) 2.2.

The J2ME Wireless Toolkit 2.2 software Beta version, with new APIs, is available today (http://java.sun.com/). The award-winning toolkit provides Java technology developers with the emulation environment, documentation and examples needed to develop mobile Java applications for mobile information devices such as cellular phones and entry-level PDAs.

The J2ME Wireless Toolkit implements impressive capabilities that are exposed through standard APIs as defined through the Java Community Process(sm) (JCP(sm)). The new J2ME Web Services APIs (JSR 172) let J2ME devices act as Web services clients, simplifying the extension of enterprise applications to the mobile workforce. Other new APIs included in the Wireless Toolkit 2.2 beta version are:

About NetBeans and NetBeans.org
NetBeans is an open source, multiplatform product, implemented 100 percent in Java technology, that can be used to develop and deploy a range of mobile, Web, desktop and services-based applications. It offers a full-featured, extensible Java technology IDE; a tools platform with an extensible, modular architecture; and an application framework that provides a foundation for full featured, rich client applications. There have been approximately three million downloads of NetBeans in the last year. NetBeans is currently available on the Solaris(tm) Operating System, Windows, Linux and Macintosh platforms.

For more information on the JavaOne conference, visit http://java.sun.com/javaone.

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision - "The Network Is The Computer(tm)" - has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com. Subscribe to Sun newswire at www.sun.com/news.

Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, EJB, Java, JavaOne Conference, JavaBeans, JavaServer Pages, J2EE, J2ME, JCP, NetBeans. Solaris and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Laura Ramsey
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
978-842-4499

Brenda Nashawaty
CHEN PR, Inc. for Sun Microsystems
781-466-8282 ext. 13

Back to Press Archive