Having just emerged from a public beta process that began in the spring of 2005, and especially now that Java is an open-source project, developers will find little to be surprised about in Sun's newest Java SE 6, released yesterday. But one sign that even Java is adapting with the times - besides its smaller size, which early adopters are applauding - is its new support for external scripting engines, which adopters might not be aware of.
For the first time, Java is "aware" of the presence of scripting languages, including JavaScript - which recently became part of the Java bundle. With scripting languages like Asynchronous JavaScript (AJAX) rapidly becoming common in the creation of browser-based front ends, Java SE 6's new recognition for scripting engines like JavaScript that follow a standard API to provide scriptable, server-driven functionality.
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