Sun Microsystems, the creator and leading advocate of Java technology, has unveiled the much anticipated beta program for the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition 1.5 (J2SE 1.5).
Code-named Project Tiger, this beta release includes new Java programming language updates which focus on ease-of-development, dramatic new application monitoring and management features, ongoing rich client support for the PC desktop, as well as greater performance.
The J2SE platform is the software development and deployment platform used by many vendors and developers for delivering a wide range of secure, portable, network-aware content and services. J2SE powers the Sun Java Enterprise System, Sun Java Studio Enterprise tools and the Sun Java Desktop System offerings. "Java technology gives developers the best platform for innovation and ease of development," says Sean O'Hare, Java systems engineer at Sun Microsystems South Africa.
"J2SE 1.5 marks a tremendous achievement for the Java development community and is a key milestone in the Java technology roadmap. The Java programming language enhancements will appeal to a broad variety of Java developers by harnessing the power of the Java platform and allowing developers greater access to it."
J2SE is in huge demand on the desktop. With over 110 million downloads of the J2SE software developer kit and Java Runtime Environment (JRE) since its launch in December 1998, its popularity and critical impact on network computing is undisputed.
"Java technology is the clear choice of developers using J2SE for rich desktop applications such as financial management and data visualisation," continues O'Hare. Communication applications such as popular Web chat applications and instant messaging applications are based on J2SE, as are a large variety of multi-player games - many of which can be downloaded at Java.com."
New features include generics, enumerated types, metadata and autoboxing of primitive types. Performance improvements integral to the new release include reduced startup time, a smaller memory footprint and Java Virtual Machine (JVM) auto-tuning to drive greater overall application and development performance on the new platform.
The J2SE platform has also reached directly into the consumer computing space with over 27 million copies of the JRE being downloaded by consumers from Java.com.
"During January 2004 consumers downloaded six-million copies and industry-leading PC manufacturers cumulatively representing over 60% of the PC market are now factory-installing the JRE on their systems, putting Java technology everywhere," concludes O'Hare.
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Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision - "The Network Is The Computer" - 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://www.sun.com.
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