Asked if an ALM project was being planned as an addition to NetBeans, Roberts said, "That hasn't been announced of yet. It's been long discussed."

But NetBeans does need to do more in the ALM space, he said.

"We certainly recognize the importance that ALM plays in the industry," said Roberts.

The Eclipse Foundation has an ALM project underway: the

NetBeans is gaining more traction and partners, said analyst Joe Niski of Burton Group. "In the last year, it has become a more viable alternative to Eclipse for Java development," Niski said. Sun's strategy to revitalize NetBeans is to quickly add new Java language features, he said.