SpringSource Launches Spring 3.0

NEW ORLEANS -- SpringSource has launched Spring 3.0, a major new version of its popular Java development framework that is used by more than three million developers worldwide.

Spring 3.0 enables developers and organizations to build the latest rich Web and service-based solutions on a mature, extensively tested and open application platform. Spring 3.0 includes enhancements that remove the complexity from enterprise Java without compromising developer programming power, SpringSource officials said.

Moreover, developers can gain further efficiencies when using the Eclipse-based SpringSource Tool Suite, the best development environment for building Spring-powered enterprise Java applications, which has been updated to support new Spring 3.0 functionality, the company said.

"There is a lot of improvement in the SpringSource Tool Suite, and there will be a lot of good tooling support for Groovy and Grails," said Rod Johnson, co-founder of SpringSource and general manager of the SpringSource division of VMware, in an interview with eWEEK.

SpringSource announced the new technology at its SpringOne 2GX conference, the annual gathering of developers and the SpringSource community here. In his upcoming keynote address, Johnson will discuss the latest Spring release, SpringSource’s commitment to the developer community, and the company’s position as a leader in enterprise Java.

“Spring 3.0 makes it even easier for developers to build flexible, high-quality applications while providing a foundation for innovation in other open source projects and commercial products,” Johnson said. “Spring 3.0 together with SpringSource’s runtime environments, including SpringSource tc Server, provides the most productive and highest performing development platform for enterprise Java.”

SpringSource officials said this newest version of the Spring platform features simpler development of rich Web applications with full Representational State Transfer (REST) support as well as streamlined configuration of Spring beans and a new expression language. Also, because Spring 3.0 is backwards compatible with Spring 2.5, the upgrade process is quick and easy, the company said.

“SpringSource continues to deliver the technology designed to provide enterprise Java developers with a highly productive environment for creating enterprise Java applications," said Brad Shimmin, principal analyst at Current Analysis. “The continued momentum behind Spring is undeniable, and with the Spring 3.0 release, developers now have even more reasons to use this popular development platform.”

A more in-depth overview of Spring 3.0 can be found at: http://blog.springsource.com/2009/09/29/spring-framework-3-0-rc1-released/.  And Spring 3.0 is available for download at: http://www.springsource.com/products/spring-community-download.