Help For Developers Who Aren't Steeped In Java

Oracle is shipping JDeveloper 10g, an updated development toolset designed to help programmers who aren't well-versed in Java build enterprise-scale Java apps and Web services. The development software is the final component of Oracle's 10g product lineup that includes Oracle Database 10g and Oracle Application Server 10g, both of which debuted late last year.

JDeveloper 10g has what Oracle calls an application-development framework, a simplified interface and set of runtime libraries that shield developers from the complex programming interfaces of Oracle's application server and Java 2 Enterprise Edition application servers from other vendors.

Free evaluation copies of JDeveloper 10g can be downloaded from Oracle's site and purchased for $995 per named user.

"I think (the framework) makes JDeveloper more attractive to people who are more mainstream developers," says Gartner analyst Mark Driver. By reducing complexity and automating development steps, JDeveloper 10g will help developers--even those with little experience with Java coding--build more enterprise-class J2EE software and Web services, he says.

Although JDeveloper can work with other vendors' app servers, such as BEA Systems Inc.'s WebLogic, Driver says the focus is on rounding out Oracle's "software stack" and helping developers build applications that work with Oracle's database and application server software.JDeveloper 10g also simplifies development by providing more graphical XML and Java Server Page editing tools, and through improved support for Web-services-development methodologies.