Sun updates JavaFX and Java SE

Sun has delivered updates to JavaFX, its platform for rich internet application development, and to Java Platform Standard Edition (SE).

JavaFX 1.2, launched at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, adds support for Linux and OpenSolaris. The software previously worked with the Windows XP, Windows Vista and Mac OS X operating systems only.

The Sun software, first released in December 2008, is a framework and language. It provides a unified model for developing internet applications running across different types of devices. The platform is integrated with the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), so JavaFX applications will run on any device that already supports Java. Similar offerings from other vendors include Adobe's Flash Player and Microsoft's Silverlight.

Right now, JavaFX is used to build applications for the desktop, web browsers, mobile phones, TV set-top boxes, gaming consoles and Blu-ray players. Sun plans to tailor it to other devices as well and, at JavaOne, the company demonstrated JavaFX running on a next-generation television.

The new version includes a new cross-platform user interface library, faster start-up for applications and the Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) for streaming media support, Sun said.

At the conference, Sun also launched Update 14 of the Java SE 6 platform, used to create Java programs. It now comes with support for 64-bit plug-ins, as well as support for Internet Explorer 8 browser and Windows 7. Sun said it has also made numerous performance improvements, and it has added a Java Hotspot client virtual machine with with a 'Garbage First' collector that aims to improve system memory management.