Company readies software development kit Sun Microsystems on Tuesday plans to offer previews of the next releases of the enterprise version of Java and the NetBeans open source developer tools platform.The company, in conjunction with the Java and NetBeans communities, is releasing the Java Enterprise Edition (Java EE) 5 Software Development Kit and NetBeans Enterprise Pack 5.5.The Java EE 5 platform featured as part of the SDK is intended to accelerate Web development through increased support for JSF (JavaServer Faces) 1.2, annotations and GUI tools. JAX-WS 2.0 (Java API for XML-based Web Services) and JAXB 2.0 (Java Architecture for XML Binding) are featured for building Web services. The SDK includes a beta of the Sun Java System Application Server Version 9, which serves as the basis for the SDK. The application server is based on the Project GlassFish open source application server project. EJB 3 (Enterprise JavaBeans) and JSF support in Java EE 5 enable building of AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) Web clients.Java EE 5 is intended to simplify use of Java, which has become more complex as it has aged, said Ken Drachnik, group product marketing manager for the application platform group at Sun. “The theme of this release is to make Java simpler and easier for programmers to use,” Drachnik said.Java EE 5 specifications are expected to become final in the second quarter of 2006. NetBeans Enterprise Pack 5.5 serves as a preview of NetBeans 5.5. It includes a pre-release of NetBeans 5.5 IDE functions plus technologies previously available with the Java Studio Enterprise developer tool, particularly UML (Unified Modeling Language) 2.0 capabilities. Developers using the pack get access to tools enabling development on Java EE 5 and supporting SOA.NetBeans 5.5 is expected to ship toward the end of 2006.Sun also is announcing Sun (DSP) Developer Service Plans, a program to shorten the application development lifecycle. The program leverages Sun development tools when building enterprise applications for the Solaris 10 OS and the Java Enterprise System. Featured are product support and updates, training and programming advice. Developer Service Plans for Sun Studio 11 software are available now. Future versions of DSP for other Sun technologies will be released throughout the next year. Software DevelopmentTechnology IndustrySmall and Medium Business