It's just a milestone, so only early adopters will really be interested in downloading and playing with it. The real point is that work is being done quickly on 6.10. NetBeans is moving forward, and they're moving forward quickly and with regular releases. It's good to see, especially when we often hear complaints that other segments of the Java world are moving slowly.

Highlights of this stabilized development build include:

• Java EE
  • Find Usages for managed beans (JSF/CDI) and their properties
  • Rename refactoring for properties/methods and for managed beans
  • Improved "REST from Database" wizard code generation
• GlassFish
  • Support for GlassFish 3.1
  • Restart-domain command works with remote domains
  • Enable and disable deployed applications
• Enhanced support for WebLogic application server
  • New server runtime node displaying deployed applications and resources
  • JSF integration with server libraries
  • Support for datasource creation and deployment
  • Directory based deployment
• Editor
  • Word wrap
  • Show invisible characters
• Java
  • JUnit 4.8.2 has been integrated
  • Possibility to run or debug a single test case (method) in a suite (class) from the editor context menu.
  • It's now possible to rerun only failed tests.
  • Remote HTTP URLs are now supported for Javadoc in libraries and Java platforms.
  • The 1.8.1 release of the Apache Ant build tool has been integrated.
• PHP
  • Generate PhpDoc
  • Rename refactoring, Safe Delete Refactoring

http://netbeans.org/community/news/show/1493.html

I hope Oracle doesn't screw the pooch with regards to Netbeans.  It just keeps on getting better and better.

Knowing some of the members of the NetBeans team personally, they have been optimistic about the aquisition after some initial trepidation. Indeed, they might even be more optimistic now than they were with the constant instability that was Sun.

That being said, I do think it is a good idea to keep a vigilant eye on things like NetBeans until the Sun to Oracle transition solidifies a bit more, say over the next year...For Oracle's part, thay have made clear commitents to NetBeans although it's been a little dissapointing that they clearly continue to see JDeveloper as their flagship IDE...

I too, congratulate the NetBeans team on keeping the strong march forward :-).

Cheers,

Reza

It's a mistake not to start transitioning to NetBeans as the future of Oracle's platform tool, but obviously the internal politics will resist that.

They could actually kill two birds with one stone if they transitioned to NetBeans.  One is to foster developer goodwill (which they need badly).  It would show a strong committment to a really nice alternative to Eclipse and Intellij.  And two is to market Oracle-specific tooling to Java developers that would never touch JDeveloper. 

I'm sure we can count on Oracle doing the wrong thing though.

I agree with you (in fact, I've always said as much) minus the negativity on Oracle that I personally see little tangible justification for. On the contrary, my personal experience with everyone at Oracle has been overwhelmingly positive, considering the fact that they often have to work in a highly corporate, profit-driven environment (which frankly Sun could have used a little more of to save themselves from becoming a zombie corporation despite having so much going for them).

With NetBeans in particular, I think what would be useful is a serious petition from NetBeans users and speaking constructively to people at Oracle if/when the opportunity arises (the latter of which I have already done and will continue to do in the future).

Cheers,

Reza