Java tools market gets a lot more crowded

Sun Microsystems again delves into the Java development tool market with its acquisition of NetBeans and Forté. What do these acquisitions mean for other Java tool vendors?

If at first you don't succeed...Sun Microsystems Inc. on Wednesday re-entered the Java development tool box by acquiring NetBeans, a Czech Republic-based developer of cross-platform Java technology IDEs. The transaction took place through an asset purchase.

Sun's earlier foray into the Java tool space ended earlier this year with the discontinuation of Java WorkShop and Java Studio. The company apparently wants to stay in the Java application builders/development tools market and hopes its pairing with NetBeans will be prove a more successful formula.

According to Sun spokesperson Michael Shuster, Sun's intention all along was to be a Java IDE provider; that strategy, he said, has not changed. Java WorkShop and Java Studio, he said, served their purpose, but Sun is now focusing on stronger cross-platform tools.

Roman Stanek, NetBeans founder, describes NetBeans as "the leading Java IDE for the Linux community." The development tools will be used to extend the Java platform to give developers a powerful, customizable environment for developing Web applications for the Internet and intranet, according to Sun.

The same day, Sun also announced the completion of the purchase of Forté Software Inc., whose products will be combined with NetBeans IDE products to provide over a million Sun Java Development Kit software users with an array of new software choices, the company says. Those choices range from entry-level products for individual developers and students to enterprise-class offerings for team development, according to Sun.

Sun as platform provider and tools competitor

Sun's acquisition of NetBeans should benefit both parties: Sun now becomes a competitor in the Java tools market and NetBeans is bolstered by the backing of Sun's visibility and extensive resources. What does the entry of another contestant in the Java development tools game mean to the other players -- namely Borland JBuilder and Symantec Visual Café? Alex Roedling, product marketing manager for JBuilder, says not much.

"We've already been competing with NetBeans and it hasn't affected us in the past. I don't see Sun's acquisition of it affecting JBuilder," said Roedling. "In the Java tool space, we are still among the top three leaders and NetBeans can't match what we offer," he said.

Roedling added that Borland has no plans to do anything different with JBuilder as a result of Sun's move. "We'll have to see what Sun does with the tool, " he said. He pointed out that Sun's purchase of NetBeans proves the importance of IDEs in Java. "I think it's interesting that Sun is showing a lot of interest in IDEs. They're saying that they're vital to the success of Java," he said.

At press time, Symantec was unavailable for comment.