Sun moves to simplify Java development for Sun One

By Alun Williams

Posted on 20 Mar 2003 at 13:11

Sun has announced the availability of a developer studio for Sun ONE (Open Net Environment). This is Sun's platform for delivering Web services, a rival to Microsoft's .Net offering.

The 'Sun ONE Web Services Platform Developer Edition' consists of a suite of development tools and servers that sit within the Sun ONE Studio IDE. The idea, as always, is to simplify the development process by creating a single, integrated developer-oriented system.

'As an industry standard, Java technology is constantly evolving to meet user demands,' said Mark Bauhaus, VP, Java Web Services for Sun Microsystems. 'The Sun ONE Web Services Platform Developer Edition is the most compelling offering on the market from a product perspective because Sun has responded directly to the predominant customer need, the reduction of complexity and cost in Java Web services application development.'

The platform tools and development-ready servers are licensed for unlimited development up to the proof-of-concept stage. The servers involved include: Sun ONE Application Server 7 Standard Edition, Sun ONE Portal Server 6.0, Sun ONE Identity, Server 5.1, Sun ONE Integration Server EAI Edition 3.0

Hal Jespersen, a Distinguished Engineer at Sun Microsystems, recently told us that the company was also working to simplify the access to Java for casual developers. Those, for example, who may be initially intimidated by the scale of the Java 2 Enterprise Edition platform. The challenge has been set, in this area, by Microsoft and its Visual Studio.Net, which offers .Net capabilities with its entry-level offering, Visual Basic.

The Sun ONE Web Services Platform Developer Edition is initially available for $999 and contains, Sun claims, $36,000 worth of platform software. You can find more info at sunonedev.sun.com.

Sun has also just announced that it is putting resources into the 'Sun Developer Network'. The long-standing java.sun.com remains the focal point for Sun's delivery of developer-related content, training and support.

New content is promised in the form of technical audiocasts and syndicated content from third-parties. Sun is also opening up access to software and technologies, for example through software subscriptions and evaluation downloads. This month Sun is highlighting a 60-day free trial version of the Java Application Verification Kit for the Enterprise (Java AVK Enterprise).

'The Sun Developer Network builds on the momentum created with our recently announced Project Orion strategy,' said Mike Bellissimo, a senior director for Software Developer Marketing at Sun Microsystems. 'Exemplifying the same themes of integration and simplification, [it] will bring the benefits of cost reduction and an overall productivity increase to all members of Sun's software community through a consolidated program and extensive Web portal.'