Sun releases new version of Java tool

Sun Microsystems this week released a new version of its Java software development tool with support for Web services. Sun previously released test versions of the tool and Web services technology. The Sun One Studio version 4.0, previously called Forte for Java, supports the latest version of Java and allows programmers to convert existing software into Web services.

The tool's release is part of Sun's latest software strategy, which will be announced on June 19. Among the company's plans is a new application server. Sun is charging $1,995 for the enterprise edition of the Java tool, while the mobile and community editions are free. Sun has also released a final version of its Web services toolkit, called the Java Web Services Developer Pack, which includes four Java application programming interfaces, or sets of instructions, that connect Java software with XML, a Web standard that enables Web services.