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NetBeans IDE 6.5 Beta is out!

In celebration of the latest release of our award-winning open-source IDE, I've listed "6.5" reasons to download and start using the Beta:

Reason 1: Support for PHP Development

As a former PHP developer, I admit to having a bit of a positive bias towards anything NetBeans and PHP.  That said, the NetBeans IDE for PHP is incredibly solid for a first version.  Feature highlights include: code completion, quick fixes and semantic checks, FTP support, Debugging via Xdebug, code generation, and a nice drag and drop wizard to generate code for popular Web Services (mmm Twitter/Amazon mashup).

Reason 2: JavaScript Editing enhancements

We made improvements to the already amazing JavaScript editor (released in 6.1).  My favorite addition is the ability to debug in Firefox and IE (for free!).  Other highlights include HTTP client monitoring and bundled popular JavaScript libraries.

Reason 3: Groovy and Grails support

Java developers now have a scripting language to call their own with Groovy.  NetBeans now has support for Groovy and the Grails framework.  Try it, love it.

Reason 4: Built-in Support for Hibernate

We released support for Hibernate in 6.1 as an add-on via the Update Center.  In 6.5, Hibernate is now built-in to our Java EE/Web bundle.  New features in 6.5 includes support for reverse engineering , HQL query execution support, and refactoring of Hibernate mapping files.

Reason 5: Improved SQL Editor

6.5 Beta comes with a number of new and improved features around database development, starting with a redesigned "New Connection" dialog that is more accessible to non-Java developers. From there, the real fun begins... our SQL editor now comes with code completion, SQL history explorer, tabbed results pane that is both sortable and editable.

Reason 6: GlassFish v3 "Prelude"

The latest release of GlassFish is now included in the Ruby and All-in-one bundles.  This new version sports an OSGi based architecture, has a small footprint, fast startup and deployment, and improved support for scripting, especially jRuby.

Reason 6.5: And Much More...

• Compile/Deploy on Save
• Eclipse Project Import and Synchronization
• Ajax-enabled JSF CRUD Generator
• C/C++ editor enhancements and support for remote development
• Support for Ruby Tests
• Improved support for Rake build tool

>> Download NetBeans IDE 6.5 Beta

>> Learn more about the Beta.