Sun Microsystems, meanwhile, is looking for developer input into the next release of its tool for C, C++, and Fortran development.

In the JavaScript arena, the open source jQuery (http://jquery.com/) project provides developers with a JavaScript library to improve the quality of Web applications. JQuery makes it easier to write JavaScript and AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), said John Resig, lead developer of jQuery and also an author.

"The big thing that makes it different form other JavaScript libraries is it doesn't really try to impose itself on you," Resig said. Developers should be able to write shorter code than before while still getting equal if not better functionality, he said.

The technology addresses the issue of browsers each offering different levels of support for JavaScript; jQuery fixes browser issues, said Resig. In addition to working with XML, jQuery also can function with other data formats and frameworks such as HTML or JavaScript Object Notation (JSON). Also, jQuery provides benefits in developing animation applications and has a footprint of only 15KB.

"That's one of the big selling points, is that it encompasses so much but it is fantastically small," Resig said.