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Sun Microsystems Inc. Tuesday announced a move into the database world with the release of Java DB, a distribution of the Apache Derby open-source database technology.
During a keynote at the Apache Software Foundations ApacheCon in San Diego, Tim Bray, director of Web Technologies at Sun and XML specification co-editor, said Sun was incorporating the open-source Java DB into the Sun Java Enterprise System and providing additional support for the database with the NetBeans IDE (integrated development environment) 5.0 plug-in.
Simon Phipps, Suns chief open-source officer, who was seated in the audience during Brays keynote, Weblogged the event.
Phipps wrote, “He [Bray] announced that Sun will be including a distribution of Apache Derby in future releases of Solaris Enterprise System, and that Suns distribution will be called Java DB (IBMs is called Cloudscape).”
Phipps added, “There was a cool demo that showed Java DB running in a Web browser allowing temporarily disconnected use of a database by a browser-based application. This could be just what Ajax [Asynchronous JavaScript and XML] is waiting for.”
Meanwhile, a plug-in for the open Java DB will be included in the upcoming release of the NetBeans IDE 5.0, Sun officials said.
The open Java DB plug-in is available from the AutoUpdate Center for the beta release and is accessed through the Tools menu of the product, according to the company.
Sun officials said the open Java DB is incorporated in the Sun Java System Portal Server 7.0 for use in data storage; it is also used as the development database within all versions of the Sun Java System Application Server, including the open-source Project GlassFish application server effort.