Sun announced the "Java 2" name in December of 1998, just as it released the first technology delivered under this new brand, the product formerly called JDK 1.2. This note explains how the overarching "Java 2" brand applies to the specific technology that Sun delivers. It focuses on the core platform, formerly thought of as the "JDK" and now known as the Java^TM 2 Platform, Standard Edition. The same structure will also be applied to the forthcoming Java^TM 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (formerly called "Project JPE").

You can find the Java Development Kit (JDK) versions on the same product family page as the Java 2 SDK, Standard Edition versions.
 

New Name	Old Name	What it applies to:
JavaTM 2 Platform, Standard Edition, v 1.2 (J2SE)	None.	The abstract JavaTM 2 platform (the technology and/or environment described in Sun's specifications of the JavaTM 2 Platform, Standard Edition, v 1.2).  For example, the JavaTM 2 SDK, Standard Edition, v 1.2 is Sun's implementation of the JavaTM 2 Platform, Standard Edition, v 1.2.
JavaTM 2 SDK, Standard Edition, v 1.2 (J2SDK)	JDKTM version 1.2	Sun's product that implements the JavaTM 2 Platform, Standard Edition, v 1.2; it is a software development kit that can be used to build applications for the JavaTM 2 Platform, Standard Edition, v 1.2.  The SDK  includes both the development tools (compiler, etc.) and the JavaTM 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition, v 1.2
JavaTM 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition, v 1.2 (J2RE)	JRE 1.2 (JRE is not trademarked)	Sun's product that implements the runtime environment with which to run applications written for the JavaTM 2 Platform, Standard Edition, v 1.2.

Note on Enterprise Edition

For the Enterprise Edition, "Standard" should be replaced by "Enterprise," as in:   Java^TM 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE).  J2EE can be considered a proper superset of the Java^TM 2 Platform, Standard Edition; the additional technology is essentially a server-centric set of standard extensions (EJB, Servlets, JSP, etc.).  Details of J2EE are forthcoming.

FAQ

Q1: So how is the Java^TM 2 Platform, Standard Edition different from the Java^TM 2 SDK, Standard Edition?

A1: The platform is the abstract functionality and the SDK is software that implements the platform. The runtime environment is likewise software, but it only supplies part of the platform insofar as it doesn't supply development tools.

Q2: What are the JDK^TM 1.0.x and 1.1.x releases called now?

A2: The names for those releases have not changed. The "Java 2" name applies only to the releases starting with 1.2.

Q3: Will the versioning scheme  be changing?

A3: No, the versioning scheme  will stay the same, i.e. Java^TM 2 SDK, Standard Edition, v 1.2 will retain the 1.2.x and forthcoming 1.3 versioning scheme. Also, the release numbered 1.3 will not  automatically be called "Java 3".

Q4: Do we change the way we refer to the Java^TM virtual machine and Java^TM programming language?

A4: No, these do not assume the "Java 2" name.

[ This page was updated: 14-Feb-00 ]