Also discussed were Project Phobos, which supports JavaScript in the server-side Web tier; the planned Mustang and Dolphin releases of Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE), and ideas for improving the enterprise edition of Java.

Project Semplice supports standard VB.Net concepts and seeks to reuse Visual Basic skills in Java programming, according to Graham Hamilton, Sun vice president and a Sun Fellow for the Java platform. Characterized as bringing a new language to the Java platform, Semplice compiles Visual Basic source code into Java class files. Developers can write in Visual Basic.

Project Phobos, meanwhile, is an extra language choice for JavaServer Pages and enables embedding of server-side JavaScript on pages. Developers can use JavaScript on both the client and server, Hamilton said.

The planned Mustang release of Java, due Oct. 29, features accommodations for scripting languages and the Microsoft Windows Vista OS, as well as enhancements in performance, monitoring and Web services functionality, Sun officials said. The standard edition of Java generally serves as a basis for future enterprise-level editions of Java.

Officially known as Java SE 6, Mustang is to boast scripting language support, using the Rhino engine from Mozilla. Also planned are plug-ins for scripting languages such as Groovy and Python.