Sun releases Java EE 6

Almost 10 years to the day since the 1999 release of Java EE 1.2, Sun announced today that Java EE 6 is ready for business.

In the three years since the last major update to the Java EE platform, a great deal has changed in Java, and EE 6 reflects these changes. Chief among the new features are a slimmed down Web Profile installation of the EE platform, support for RESTful Web services, and the last-minute inclusion of dependency injections.

Sun also released NetBeans 6.8 and GlassFish Enterprise Application Server version 3. Both of these are compatible with EE 6 and include support for new features. GlassFish, for example, is also available in a Web Profile form, and NetBeans 6.8 adds handlers for REST.

The Web Profile form of Java EE 6 is a slimmed-down installation of the Java EE ecosystem. Built in response to developer complaints over the years, Java EE 6 adds the concept of Profiles, which will be targeted installations for specific purposes. Initially, only the Web Profile is available, but Sun has said it is looking into more configurations. The Web Profile version of Java EE 6 installs only the pieces of the language and ecosystem needed to run Web applications, such as JPA and JSF.

GlassFish too can be slimmed down for specific Web purposes. Both the Java EE 6 environment and the GlassFish application server can then be upgraded to the full Java EE 6 stack without the need to change or update applications, said Tom Kincaid, executive director of Sun's Application Platform organization. ”We expect this to be very popular with Web application development and deployment,” he said.

JSR 330 was a latecomer to the Java EE 6 party. This specification for dependency injections in Java originated at Google. JSR 330 came together and was passed through the JCP this fall, a break-neck pace for the JCP to approve a new specification.

From the specification page at the JCP website: JSR 330 created “a set of annotations for use on injectable classes” and “a typesafe, user-friendly injector configuration API that provides an integration point for higher-level dependency injection configuration approaches.”

No fragile fish
GlassFish Enterprise Application Server version 3 is a commercially licensed form of the open-source GlassFish server project. Owning the commercial version will entitle developers to free software updates and bug fixes, said Kincaid.

“GlassFish Enterprise Server v3 goes much further with its modular architecture, management and monitoring capabilities, and update center console,” he said.

GlassFish is now built on an OSGi microkernel, the Apache Felix project, said Kincaid. “Only the necessary modules are loaded at startup. As applications are deployed, only the required modules are loaded,” he said.

NetBeans 6.8, on the other hand, includes new features that aren't just about Java. NetBeans 6.8 is the first version of the IDE to support PHP 5.3, and that language is growing in popularity among NetBeans users, said David Folk, director of developer tools engineering at Sun. He said that the new version includes packaging and deployment tools to make building applications easier.

“We provide support for all the Java EE 6 libraries when you're working with [build management tool] Maven,” said Folk, highlighting NetBeans 6.8's enhanced Ant and Maven integrations.

NetBeans 6.8 is available for free online, while the GlassFish Enterprise Application Server v3 is included with the Java EE 6 release.