Safari supports features such as parser management, syntax highlighting, and re-factoring. Static program analysis and debugging also are goals. The project offers language service-creation wizards, class libraries, and "code skeletons" to get a language service-implementer started.

IBM's Web site on Safari said the effort has been driven in part by the need to build full-featured IDEs for language research activities at the company. One activity to benefit from Safari is the development of a JavaScript IDE, taking place at IBM's Tokyo Research Lab.

Other IBM research projects impacted include X10, which is a Java-derived language; XJ, featuring XML access and Java, and the JikesPG grammar language specification.

Accommodating multiple languages within Eclipse was the subject of panel session at the conference on Thursday. Safari was noted during the session, as well as the reality that Eclipse has grown beyond its origin as a platform for Java development.

Doug Schaefer, a senior software developer at and the moderator of the session, said: "It's gotten pretty clear that Eclipse isn't just Java anymore."