NetBeans, its proponents point out, provides a pure Java technology integrated development environment for Windows, Linux, the Solaris OS, and Mac OS X. The main themes for the NetBeans 4.0 release are coding productivity enhancements and a brand new project system based on Apache Ant. "Additional work is planned in the areas of Web application support and out of the box experience," says a note at www.netbeans.org. 

NetBeans 4.0 Beta 2 is now available as both an individual download and also bundled with the newly released production version of J2SE 5.0. The key features are as follows:

• Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition 5.0 (J2SE) language feature support

  J2SE 5.0 (Tiger) brings important new language updates: metadata, generics, enumerated types and autoboxing of primitive types. NetBeans IDE 4.0 supports these new language features in the editor, debugger, refactoring, etc.

• Ant-based projects

  A completely new project system based on Apache Ant, the de facto standard for Java technology build tools, featuring:

  • An open architecture, which third-party modules can extend to support current and future types of Java applications
  • Project types for J2SE desktop, two-tier web applications (JSPs, servlets,...), and MIDP applications out of the box.

  Beginning users don't have to know Ant to use the system, but the full power of Ant is accessible to advanced Ant users. These project types come with built-in support for generating, developing and running unit tests using JUnit, the de facto standard in Java code testing.

• Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME) MIDP development support
  • Support for the Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) 2.0
  • Support for the Connected, Limited Device Configuration (CLDC) 1.1
  • Support for code obfuscation (commonly used to reduce application size)
  • Easy integration of third party phone/device emulators
  • Available as separate download NOW

  This release simplifies coding with templates for MIDlet and MIDlet suites. It solves device fragmentation problems by enabling you to edit and compile custom configurations for each device, without requiring separate source files for each device.

  See http://www.netbeans.org/kb/articles/mobility.html for more information.

• Java refactoring

  Refactoring allows developers to make sweeping changes to their code without affecting functionality. The refactoring in NetBeans IDE 4.0 provides features such as renames (class/method/field), move class, rename package, change method parameters, encapsulate field and find references.

• Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) development support for NetBeans IDE 4.x (Early Access available in October)

  The NetBeans team will release a J2EE module collection as a separate download for NetBeans IDE 4.0 Beta 2 that will extend the NetBeans IDE Web-Tier development capabilities and will allow EJB^TM and Web Services development.

  Features include:

  • Create EJB Modules and EJB Session Beans
  • Synchronize Deployment Descriptor files
  • New Web Service wizard to create Web Services artifacts
  • New J2EE Application project type wizard, that allows the developer to define a J2EE Application (a set of Web Applications and EJB Modules)
  • Deployment and execution target to Sun Java System Application Server Platform Edition 8.1 Beta and Tomcat 5

• Performance Profiler (coming soon)

  NetBeans is adding a CPU and memory performance profiler to its long list of features. The Profiler is based on the JFluid research project that has been in development at SunLabs for the last two years and adds tight integration into NetBeans IDE and an improved user interface.

  Features include:

  • Memory profiling and leak detection
  • CPU performance profiling
  • Low-overhead profiling
  • Task-based profiling
  • Tight integration into the IDE workflow
  • Attach to currently running JVM and do on-the-fly configuration changes

  The initial Early Access release is available NOW as a separate module collection download for NetBeans IDE 3.6. The beta version will be available as an additional download for the production version of NetBeans IDE 4.0 in December.

  See http://profiler.netbeans.org/ for more information.