Sun delivers tool under subscription model June 28, 2004—Sun will begin shipping its much-heralded, so-called easy-to-use visual Java development environment, Sun Java Studio Creator. Designed for developing workgroup and departmental applications, the product uses component technology, drag-and-drop functionality, and integrated editing, said Joe Keller, vice president of marketing for Java Web services and tools at Sun. Sun will offer the tool to subscribers of the Sun Developer Network, which costs 9 per year.Subscription pricing represents a new delivery trend for Sun.“In the past, you bought a product and purchased support,” Keller said. “In the future, you will join programs and get tools and support as part of the program.” Java Studio Creator might have cost two to three times as much under the previous delivery model, he said. Sun’s new offering shows promise in bolstering Java as an alternative to Microsoft’s Visual Basic for client-side development, a beta user said. “It will let us use Java all the way across the board from the server all the way up (to) the GUI,” said Dick Wall, lead software engineer at NewEnergy Associates, which provides decision support and financial software for the utilities industry.Java Studio Creator is available for the Windows, Linux, and Solaris operating systems. A trial Early Access version for the Macintosh will also be available.Paul Krill is editor at large at InfoWorld. Software Development