Sun today outlined a roadmap for the Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE), citing plans to enhance Java technology with new rich-client features for end-users, easier and more productive coding for developers and improved security and performance for everyone.

During the opening keynote at the 10th-annual JavaOne conference, Graham Hamilton, Sun fellow and vice president, unveiled advances planned for Java SE software over the next three years and across two upcoming releases.

Hamilton also offered developers an early taste of Java SE 6 software, which is expected to ship in summer 2006, and invited them to contribute directly to the future of Java technology by reviewing source code, contributing bug fixes and feature implementations and collaborating with Sun engineers to make the Java platform even better. Developers are free to join the community at http://community.java.net/jdk.

The following Java SE 6 features will be available for testing and evaluation at the JDK software community site on java.net:

   * Development enhancements: Support for client-side web services, including a revamped XML stack, a new scripting engine, declarative programming support through annotations and improved developer experience for JDBC technology programming;

   * Improved end-user experience: An implementation of Microsoft's "Longhorn" look and feel and the ability to co-exist with the .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR), enhancements to Java Web Start software and numerous graphics enhancements;

   * Core system improvements: A new, simpler and faster code verifier and enhanced file I/O.

Extending these improvements, features being considered for Java SE 7 include:

   * Streamlined development: Java SE 7 software will extend the use of generics in the Java Management Extensions (JMX) API and will use annotations to help make the job of writing Mbeans simpler and quicker for developers. This will help speed time to market and reduce development costs;

   * Ease of administration: Java technology code and resources will be packaged into modules that identify resources and dependencies and will provide the ability to discover and load applications in real time. XML web services will also be used for remote management of the platform with JMX API;

   * Java programming language updates, including direct support for XML data types within the Java programming language;

   * New platform support for dynamic languages.