NetBeans Inc, a Czech company which has financial backing from internet guru Esther Dyson, has launched the beta release of an integrated development environment (IDE) based on Java Foundation Classes. The company says its NetBeans IDE is one of the first to generate Java Foundation Class (JFC) code without the use of any third-party framework. The Prague-based company says using JavaBeans as the component model for both the development and deployment environments gives developers access to a world of Java technology-based objects that are consistent and easy to use. The company, which faces formidable competition from companies like Microsoft Corp and Sun Microsystems Inc itself, nevertheless won support from Sun. Dr. Lew Tucker, director of strategic relations at Sun’s JavaSoft division said: NetBeans is leveraging the power and flexibility of the Java platform to assist Java technology developers in creating more robust Java applications, faster. The beta version of NetBeans Developer is can be downloaded from the NetBeans Website at http://www.netbeans.com.
