Java 2 Release Candidate 1 for Linux Available
After many requests from developers for a Linux port, Sun Microsystems announced today Release Candidate 1 of its popular Java 2 Software Development Kit for Linux.
This marks Sun's first production release of the Java 2 Platform for Linux. Co-developed with Inprise, the Java 2 SDK will have all of the features of the currently shipping Standard Edition of Java 2 SDK for Solaris and Windows. Java 2 has many improvements over its predecessor
Java 2 brings the next wave of java technology. Since 1995, the development kit has grown from having 200 application program interfaces (API) to 1600 today, thus expanding its technical scope. Java 2 offers broad cross-platform and backwards system compatibility. Sun has created Java 2 to improve systems integration by making it seamless, faster runtime performance, and easier and quicker application deployment and development.
With regards to the new technology in the Java 2 platform, Director of Engineering for Java at Sun Larry Abrahams has stated that "The early days of Java technology were about singing penguins and spinning pretzels. Today it's about mission-critical apps." Java 2 offers the first completed Java Foundations Classes, which includes API’s and other components that allow developers to get a fast start in application development.
New features in Java 2 support TrueType and PostScript, as well as allowing developers to create an application GUI that runs independent of the operating system in which the program is running. Look at a screenshot of what such a GUI may look like. Advances in accessibility allow talking interfaces and magnification options. Drag & Drop is now supported between java and non-java programs, which allow a user to freely move data between any applications.
The Java Virtual Machine has been updated to allow developers to lighten downloads, making application distribution quicker and easier. New Java technologies are automatically updated and inserted into the VM core, which means applications no longer need to carry these updates.
Updates to JDBC 2.0 make it easier for developers to integrate SQL and other relational database systems into their Java applications. Other improvements allow C++, Cobal, and Corbal objects to be integrated into Java programs and the java environment. This allows Java to remain completely object oriented, making it more cross-platform compatible and easier to use on the Internet.
The security model written into Java 2 is an enterprise-class tiered system, throwing out the old automatic, non-customizable model, and replacing it with a completely customizable, dynamic one. No longer will a security model need to be written for each application, but instead, using a JavaBean, the security model will be available over the Internet.
New Features in Java 2 Version 1.2.2 include the following:
- Java Virtual Machine Debugger Interface (JVMDI)
- Java Virtual Machine Profiler Interface (JVMPI)
- Improvements in the Javac Compiler
- New options in the Java technology launcher
- Drag & Drop support between two java applications, or within a single java application
Sun’s release of Java 2 has finally fulfilled the "Write Once, Run Anywhere" goal of Java computing and technology. This set of tools can only continue to improve and more robust, interactive features will come in the future of Java computing. For a complete list of new features visit the Java 2 1.2.2 Release Notes and read the Inprise Press Release as well.