Sun eases design of Rich Internet apps on Java

Sun Microsystems Inc. announced the availability of the JavaFX Preview release at http://www.javafx.com. The JavaFX Preview release provides Web scripters, designers and Java developers with a preview of the runtime and tools needed to create Rich Internet Applications (RIA) on the Java platform. Developers can download the JavaFX Preview release, explore the code samples and tutorials, start writing JavaFX applications and provide their feedback to Sun.

JavaFX is the rich client platform for building RIA and content across all the screens of your life (PC, mobile, TV and other consumer devices). JavaFX can allow developers to quickly and easily build high-impact, immersive RIAs that combine 2D and 3D graphics, high fidelity A/V, and animation, while leveraging the power and functionality of the existing Java platform.

"With this announcement, Sun is delivering on the commitment it made in May at JavaOne to deliver a preview of JavaFX to the RIA community," said Ken Wallich, VP of JavaFX at Sun. "Only the Java platform is pervasive enough to allow developers to build and deploy RIAs across desktops and browsers on more than 800 million PCs, as well as billions of mobile phones and devices. JavaFX builds upon this foundation to deliver immersive and rich presentation capabilities to the existing Java platform."

The JavaFX Preview release is designed to help early adopters become familiar with JavaFX and is not yet being offered for commercial applications. The JavaFX Preview release consists of the following components:

??JavaFX Preview SDK: Provides the JavaFX compiler and runtime tools, 2D graphics and media libraries to create highly interactive applications for desktop and browser, as well as tutorials, API documentation and sample code.

??JNetBeans 6.1 IDE with integrated JavaFX plug-in: Provides a sophisticated development environment to build, preview, and debug JavaFX applications.

??JProject Nile: An easy to use tool that exports creative assets from Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator to JavaFX applications.

??JJava Runtime Environment 6 Update 10 Beta: Delivers a high performance runtime with a new browser plug-in that provides the ability to drag a live running applet out of a web browser and dynamically transform it into an application running on the desktop.

JavaFX is a runtime with supporting tools and technologies that enable content authors and developers to create new content that combines the best capabilities of the existing Java platform with new immersive media services, which can be securely accessed from mobile phones, desktop browsers, TV and other consumer devices. Sun will deliver the first version of JavaFX for desktop later this year and plans to deliver the first version of JavaFX for Mobile in mid-2009.