Press Release: Technology Writers & Business Editors Contact: Helena Stolka Director of Marketing and Public Relations NetBeans, Inc. Tel: +4202 8300 7322, +420 602 294 022 Fax: +4202 8300 7399 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.netbeans.com NetBeans, Inc. boosts functionality of its popular Java IDE with release of NetBeans Developer 2.0, Beta 2 Prague, Czech Republic, July 28, 1998 - NetBeans, Inc. today released the second Beta version of its well-received Integrated Development Environment (IDE) written entirely in the Java(TM) language and based on Sun's Java Foundation Classes framework. NetBeans Developer 2.0 - Beta 2 is available for free download from the company's web site, http://www.netbeans.com. NetBeans IDE is a full-featured visual programming environment that allows flexible development on any platform which supports JDK 1.1.x, including NT, Win95, Linux, OS/2, Solaris, HP-UX, and others. NetBeans Inc. released the first beta of its JDE in late June. In the first four weeks that NetBeans Developer 2.0 - Beta 1 was publicly released, over 10,000 new registered users downloaded the tool. As Randy Gordon, Senior Software Architect at DataChannel, Inc., noted, "this is one of the best Java applications I have seen yet." "The overwhelming response to beta 1 of NetBeans Developer 2.0 is indicative of the market's need for a truly cross-platform development tool," said Roman Stanek, Founder/CEO of NetBeans, Inc.. Ian Formanek, Chief Technology Offer at NetBeans, added, "The advanced Java developer will appreciate NetBeans' ability to work with different data types in a unified, object-oriented manner, while those new to Java will find the IDE easy to learn and use." The release of the second Beta version brings improvements in functionality and stability. Among the most notable are changes in the Form Editor which widen its compatibility to make it a full-featured development tool for both AWT and Swing/JFC. Beta 2 also offers improved stability on non-windows platforms. In the final version, scheduled for release near the end of September, 1998, developers can expect to see improvements in performance. NetBeans Developer 2.0 combines the cross-platform compatibility of Java with the ease-of-use of a visual RAD programming environment, in a package that can dramatically cut application development costs. Start-up time for the new Java developer is minimized by the use of wizards, templates, and a wide range of intuitive programming tools. Jason Osgood, a member of the Seattle Java User Group, remarked, "of all the IDEs I've evaluated (about 15 so far), I feel that NetBeans approaches my vision of the "ideal" IDE and has the most potential overall." The creators of NetBeans took a unique approach to IDE architecture. NetBeans' internal structure is easily configurable and extensible, its generated code is fully reusable, and integration with other tools is seamless. Developers valued NetBeans' intuitive nature and open technology. "NetBeans is the best IDE for Java development that I've seen so far and I've been looking for a good one for quite a while. I like it because it runs independent of platform. Big plus!" commented Jose Alburquerque, a NASA Programmer. Richard F. Feuerriegel, Senior Information Technology Specialist at Auburn University added, "I just downloaded, installed and went through the tutorial for NetBeans 2.0 beta 1, and I have to say that I'm very impressed. If the performance was better, I could almost mistake the IDE for a native program." Products NetBeans IDE will ship in two versions - Developer and Enterprise. NetBeans Developer was created for the single developer working on a desktop PC. NetBeans Enterprise was designed as a multi-user, multi-platform product. Users can fully exploit the object-oriented nature of the IDE, design distributed applications based on RMI/CORBA, share virtual filesystems, debug remotely, and access source control systems. Availability The second beta version of NetBeans Developer 2.0 is now available and can be downloaded from the NetBeans Website at http://www.netbeans.com. NetBeans Developer 2.0 is scheduled for release in the third quarter of 1998, and will retail for approximately $149. Pricing and availability of NetBeans Enterprise will be announced in September, 1998. About NetBeans, Inc. NetBeans, Inc. is an emerging growth company based in Prague, Czech Republic, that has quickly risen to the forefront of Java technology development in Central Europe. NetBeans was founded in July, 1997, by a team of talented Java technology developers led by Roman Stanek, formerly the Regional Director of Central and Eastern Europe for Sybase. An expert in IT and high technology in emerging markets, Mr. Stanek is a regular speaker at industry conferences and is frequently quoted by the computer and business press. NetBeans is a privately held company whose investors include Esther Dyson, CEO of EDventure Holdings. Ms. Dyson is a leading private global technology investor and is widely known in the computer industry as an analyst on emerging information technologies worldwide, an author, a speaker, and an advisor (see http://www.edventure.com/bios/esther.html). Sun, Java, JavaBeans, Java Foundation Classes, and JDK are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
