As a result of the approval of Java Platform Enterprise Edition 5 (Java EE 5), the Java EE 5 Software Development Kit and Compatibility Test Suite will be made available to developers at the next JavaOne conference, which begins May 16.

Java EE 5 is the most significant update of the programming model in the enterprise edition of Java since the launch of J2EE in 1999, according to Sun officials. It includes support for the latest Web services and service-oriented architecture technologies and a major overhaul of the programming model, Sun said.