Sun Reaches Java Open-Source Milestone

Sun Microsystems this week said it has released an open-source version of Java, a target it set less than a year ago.

Specifically, Sun released a fully buildable Java Development Kit version of Java Platform Standard Edition--Java SE. The code was released to the OpenJDK Community under a GNU General Public License.

All told, Sun has released implementations of Java Platform Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition and Micro Edition as free software under the GPL. Also available today is all the source code for Sun's future release of Java SE 7, the company said.Sun stressed that even as it releases Java code into the wild, it has set up a clear process for OpenJDK-based implementations of Java to meet basic compatibility tests, including the earning of a "Java Compatible" logo.

Sun has created pre-built NetBeans Integrated Development Environment (IDE) projects, available at http://nb-openjdk.netbeans.org, to help make it easier for developers to star using the OpenJDK code base.