Microsoft releases Visual J++ 6.0

Microsoft Corporation on Tuesday shipped the final component in its VisualStudio 6.0 suite, Visual J++ 6.0, a Java development program. Visual J++ 6.0 joins the rest of the Visual Studio suite--Visual C++, Visual Basic,Visual InterDev, Visual FoxPro, and Visual SourceSafe--which were releasedlast month. Visual J++ 6.0 allows developers to create Windows applicationsand Java applets for the Web using a Visual Basic-like environment.

"With Visual J++ 6.0, developers can build powerful enterprise solutionsthat take advantage of all the great features of Windows and BackOffice,"said Bill Dunlap, lead product manager for Visual J++. "With Visual J++ 6.0, Microsoft has delivered on the promise of the Java language by bringing developers the ease of Java and the power of Windows so that they can build compelling applications for Windows and the Web."

If only it were that simple: Visual J++ is part of a lawsuit brought against Microsoft by Sun Microsystems, the creator of Java. Sun is seekingto have Visual J++--which ships with Microsoft's proprietary extensions toJava--removed from the market.

If you're interested in checking out Visual J++ 6.0, you can download afree 30-day trial version from the Visual J++ Web site