Java 2 Standard Edition Runtime Environment 6 (Mustang) offers a 'feature complete' version of Sun's next major release of the Java SE platform.

Sun has endeavored to foster the highest level of transparency and collaboration on the platform with the Java community through the Mustang Project, and expects to ship the final release of Java SE 6 the fall of 2006.

Here are some key features of "Java 2 Standard Edition Runtime Environment":

New Security features and enhancements:
· Native platform GSS/Kerberos integration
· Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS) login module that employs LDAP authentication
· New Smart Card I/O API

Integrated Web Services:
· New API for XML digital signature services for secure web services
· New Client and Core Java Architecture for XML-Web Services (JAX-WS) 2.0 APIs
· New support for Java Architecture for XML Binding (JAXB) 2.0

Enhanced Management & Serviceability:
· Improved JMX Monitoring API
· Runtime Support for dTrace (Solaris 10 and future Solaris OS releases only)
· New custom deployment facilities

Increased Developer Productivity:
· Improved memory usage analysis and leak detection
· Significant library improvements
· Improvements to the Java Platform Debug Architecture (JPDA) & JVM Tool Interface

Improved User Experience:
· Look and feel updates to better match underlying platforms
· Improved desktop performance and integration
· Enhanced internationalization support