Sun to merge Java tools in two-stage integration
Move will strengthen company’s tools offerings
June 18, 1993 — Sun Microsystems Inc. is working to integrate its application development tools into one integrated development environment (IDE), and will add the capability to build Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) into its current tools offerings.
Sun will create a general-purpose framework that will let developers write mixed C++ and Java applications. The framework will rival Microsoft’s Visual Studio product.
“We have believed for some time that we need to provide greater integration for our tools,” said Joe Keller, director of marketing and support for Sun’s developer tools.
In a two-phased plan, Sun will first merge its Java Studio and Java Workshop. In the second phase, Sun will integrate these merged Java development tools with its Visual Workshop for C++ and Performance Workshop Fortran tools.
Sun also will add Java Blend and Java Modeler tools and bundle them with its testing tools JavaStar, JavaSpec, JavaLoad, and JavaScope.
“Creating multiple-language tool suites is a definite trend in the industry. The integration of Sun’s tools will be a key enabler in allowing development organizations to incorporate Java at their own pace,” said Phil Costa, an industry analyst at the Giga Information Group, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Sun also is working on including the capability to build Enterprise JavaBeans in its forthcoming Release 3.0 of its Java Workshop, due to go into beta release in 1999.
“Component-based development is the Golden Fleece of the tools world,” said Larry Weber, vice president of compiler technology and performance modeling at Sun. However, the integration of the tools is some way out, according to Weber.
Donald Scott, co-founder of the Memphis Systems group, a Tennessee-based client/server software company, agreed with Weber.
“Is Sun’s the best IDE? No. Symantec, Borland, and Microsoft have been in the IDE business a lot longer, so Sun needs some time to catch up,” Scott said. “The strength of Sun’s tools is that they offer true cross-platform development.”
Sun’s next release of Visual Workshop will be called Version 5.0 and will include support for building full 64-bit development.
