The next versions of Sun's key technologies -- Java 2 Enterprise Edition
(J2EE) and Java 2 Standard Edition (J2SE) -- have been submitted to the
Java Community Process (JCP) program. The JCP is the community-based
process for developing Java technology specifications, reference
implementations and associated compatibility test suites.
With this announcement, the Java Community Process program is further
strengthened as a sound and successful community-based model for
evolving Java technology. Sun submitted two Java Specification Requests
(JSRs) to the JCP: one for J2SE v 1.4, the successor to J2SE v 1.3
which is currently available as a beta release; and another for J2EE v.
1.3, the next release of J2EE, which has been shipping in version 1.2
since December. The JSR is the first step in developing or revising a
Java technology specification. More information on the Java Community
Process program and the JSRs can be found at java.sun.com/jcp.
"Sun believes that this move will help to ensure that the Java
technology community gets exactly what it needs and wants with future
versions of the Java 2 platform," stated Rich Green, vice president,
Java Software Development, Sun Microsystems. "We're confident that the
future versions of J2EE and J2SE will greatly benefit from this decision
and look forward to continuing to work closely with the community."
"Sun has had one overarching goal for Java technology since its
introduction in 1996: to promote innovation while preserving
compatibility. The Java Community Process does exactly this in a way
that's both inclusive of the community and fast," said George Paolini,
vice president, Java Community Development, Sun Microsystems. "This
news signifies a strong step for the Java 2 platform and underscores
Sun's commitment to working with the Java community."
Next Steps in Community Development for the Java 2 Platform
The Project Management Office at Sun has posted the JSRs for public
review and comment by all JCP participants. If JCP participants agree
with the technology specifications outlined in the JSRs, expert groups
made up of community members for each technology submission will be
formed, and the community of developers using Java technologies will
continue to drive each technology specification to a final shipping
release.
The projected expert group for J2SE v 1.4 will include experts from OS
platform vendors, tool vendors, application vendors, enterprise
customers, and end developers. The projected expert group for J2EE v
1.3 will include experts from application server vendors and container
providers, enterprise tool vendors and enterprise application vendors.
Many of the partners who helped to define the current version of J2EE
have expressed strong interest in participating in the expert group for
J2EE v1.3.
Java Specification Request for Upcoming Version of J2EE
J2EE is a unified J2SE-based platform that simplifies multi-tier
enterprise application development and deployment in today's diverse
corporate environments, and enables businesses to protect and leverage
existing infrastructure investments. More information on J2EE can be
found at java.sun.com/j2ee
The JSR for J2EE will allow the Java technology community to participate
in the definition of the target feature set for J2EE v 1.3. The
proposed feature set will include APIs defined in other existing JSRs,
such as the J2EE Connector Architecture Specification for accessing
existing enterprise services, previously defined APIs such as Java
Messaging Service technology, as well as possible new APIs.
J2EE v1.3 will be the Enterprise Edition of version 1.3 of the Java 2
platform, with a full set of facilities for the development, deployment
and execution of multi-tier, server-centric applications. These
facilities would include the Enterprise JavaBeans component model,
JavaServer Pages technology and Java Servlets, JDBC, and JavaMail
technologies.
Java Specification Request for Upcoming Version of J2SE
J2SE is a complete, stable, and secure platform that is targeted towards
standalone Java technology applications and two-tier enterprise
applications. J2SE is currently shipping in version 1.2.2. Sun and
many Java technology licensees are shipping products based upon
J2SE v 1.2.2. Sun plans to ship J2SE v 1.3 this spring for the Windows
platform, with support for the Solaris Operating Environment and Linux
to follow. More information on J2SE can be found at java.sun.com/jdk.
The JSR for J2SE is a proposal to develop a target feature and API set
for the next update release of J2SE, v 1.4, which will ship in 2001.
This JSR will help to ensure that the next upgrade release of J2SE
includes all appropriate features and APIs that are now in development
with the Java community, as well as to make certain that it is
compatible with earlier J2SE releases. Existing JSR initiatives that
will be evaluated as potential candidates for the J2SE v 1.4 release are
the JSRs for XML Parsing and XML Data Binding.
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