Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 07:10:35 -0600
From: Helena Stolka <helena.stolka@news.netbeans.com>
To: lwn@lwn.net
Subject: NetBeans Announces Final Release of Java Based IDE, NetBeans Developer 2.0

Press Release:  Technology and Business Editors
For Immediate Release

Contact:
Helena Stolka
Director of Marketing/PR, NetBeans, Inc.
helena.stolka@netbeans.com
Tel.:  +420283007322

Prague, Czech Republic, October 26, 1998 - NetBeans, Inc. today 
announced the release of NetBeans Developer 2.0, one of the first 
full-featured Java IDEs based on Java Foundation Classes (JFC).  The 
culmination of more than three months of beta testing, the release marks 
an important new entrant into the Java technology tool arena.

NetBeans Developer 2.0 is a programming tool for software developers who 
want to design and build powerful, cross-platform applications - on any 
platform.  NetBeans was designed for the Java platform and is one of the 
first comprehensive IDEs with sophisticated support for visual 
development of JFC applications.  It is an industrial-strength 
development tool that is easy to learn and intuitive to operate.

"Because NetBeans Developer 2.0 is based on JavaBeans technology, 
tremendous power is put into the hands of the developer to customize the 
environment or add components as needed," commented Dr. Lew Tucker, 
Director of Developer Relations at Sun Microsystems' Java Software.  
"NetBeans is breaking new ground."

"In addition to breaking new ground in Java technology," added NetBeans' 
Founder/CEO Roman Stanek, "we're also providing a springboard for 
software developers to reach that new ground with us.  NetBeans is the 
perfect entry tool for programming in the Java language, and developers 
who use it will always be at the forefront of the Java technology curve.  
NetBeans Developer 2.0 is also an entry point to Enterprise computing.  
Our next product, a team programming platform, will build on this 
edition and will incorporate numerous additional advanced Java 
technology features."  

Product overview
NetBeans Developer 2.0 is a full-featured, cross-platform Java 
technology IDE. NetBeans combines support for all stages of application 
development including visual design, coding, compiling, and debugging in 
a comprehensive visual programming package.  It runs on all platforms 
that support JDK(TM) 1.1.x, including Windows 95/98/NT, Linux, 
Solaris(TM), HP-UX, OS/2, AIX, SGI Irix, Mac and others.  Professional 
developers will appreciate its full complement of features, its wide 
range of controls, and its flexibility.  The IDE is based on JFC and 
JavaBeans Components, and all parts of the IDE are actually themselves 
JavaBeans.  The result is an IDE where the user can fully customize the 
interface, modify component behavior and easily add new components.  
NetBeans is built to be extended and will offer APIs for users to create 
their own modules. 

Christian Gamrat, a development engineer with a French government 
research agency, praised NetBeans' stability and ease of use.  "I tried 
it on a Sun UltraSparc and it's by far the best IDE for Java I've seen 
on this platform.  NetBeans Form builder is really great, and the 
generated code is simple and clean!  I also liked the connection wizard, 
which makes using all sorts of beans very easy.  I was able to execute 
all my small test applications without any problems (the 1st time since 
I'm in Java land!)  I also liked the way you deal with layouts - it's 
very intuitive and clean."

Features
This release of NetBeans Developer 2.0 includes the NetBeans development 
environment, full documentation in several formats, four tutorials for 
new NetBeans users, and a bundled JavaBeans component from KL Group, 
JClass Chart Lite.  Users will find complete support for the latest Java 
technology standards, including JDK(TM) 1.1, JavaBeans, JFC, 
Serialization, Customizers, Layout Managers, JARs and more.

User Interface:
- Completely customizable menu, toolbar and shortcuts
- Pluggable Look & Feel
- Multiple virtual workspaces

Form Editor:
- JavaBeans-based form editor with support for both AWT and JFC components
- Integrated JFC components
- Full JavaBean support
- Full support for layout managers
- Connection Wizard
- JavaBeans Wizard
- Applet generation support
- Integration of third-party JavaBeans components

Explorer:
- Browse JAR, ZIP FileSystems
- Compile All / Build All - recursively compile all sources in a package
- Java source parsing
- Support for introspection on classes without sources
- Methods and properties from parsing or introspection visually exposed
- User templates

Debugger:
- Integrated visual debugger with multi-thread debugging support
- Support for breakpoints, watches, locales and threads

Editor:
- Text editor with syntax coloring
- Advanced support features - Abbreviations and Dynamic Word Completion

Other:
- Built-in HTML browser
- Support for third-party beans
- International application supported - Unicode enabled
- Built-in HTTP lightweight server
- Y2K compliant

Availability and Pricing
NetBeans Developer 2.0 is available at the company's web site 
http://www.netbeans.com/.  The introductory price is $145, and users can 
download a free evaluation copy.  NetBeans supports university programs 
and other educational initiatives by offering Developer 2.0 at no cost 
for educational and non-commercial use.

Other NetBeans Products
Late in Q4 of 1998, NetBeans, Inc. will release the first beta version 
of NetBeans Enterprise, a multi-user, multiple-platform edition for 
team-centric programming efforts that will have support for RMI, 
JDBC(TM), source control systems, and Enterprise JavaBeans.

Company Overview
NetBeans, Inc. is an emerging growth company based in Prague, Czech 
Republic that has quickly risen to the forefront of Java technology 
development.  The company is shaping the future of Java applications by 
taking a completely innovative approach to Java technology. 

NetBeans was founded in July 1997, by a team of Java technology 
developers led by Roman Stanek, formerly the Regional Director of 
Central and Eastern Europe for Sybase.  NetBeans is a privately held 
company whose investors include Esther Dyson, CEO of EDventure Holdings 
(see http://www.edventure.com/bios/esther.html).

--
Note to Editors:  Sun, Java, and JavaBeans are trademarks or registered 
trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other 
countries.  JClass Chart Lite is a trademark of KL Group, Inc..  All 
other brand names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their 
respective holders.