• Enhanced Java deployment
  • The Java Deployment Toolkit takes the guess work out of determining what versions of the Java Platform end users have installed on their PCs. It supplies Java based web applet/application deployers with a simple JavaScript interface. This greatly increases the ease of detections of users' Java environment, as well as the ease of Java Platform deployment.
  • The Java Kernel online installer lets first time Java users run applets and Java Web Start applications quicker without waiting for the whole Java Platform to be downloaded. The default Kernel installation is expected to satisfy the requirements of most Java applets and applications, and any additional libraries that may be required at runtime are downloaded to complete the Java Kernel installation. This installation mechanism let the end user get up and running significantly faster, while the complete Java Platform installation takes place in the background. See Java Kernel FAQ for more information.
  • For current users of Java SE, the Java auto-updater has also been improved, using a patch-in-place mechanism that translates in a faster and more reliable update process (the patch in place mechanism will take effect for end users who upgrade from this update release or later to a new update release). As an added benefit, follow-on update releases will no longer be listed as separate items in the Windows "Add or Remove Programs" dialog.
  • New Version Download and Pack200 Support

    Ease of deployment: Server side requirements have been removed! We've added a new Java system property along with new support that will make it much easier for developers to deploy their Java applications or Applets through the network.

• Improved performance and look & feel
  • The Java Quick Starter feature will prefetch portions of the JRE into memory, substantially decreasing the average Java Platform cold start-up time (the time that it takes to launch a Java application for the first time after a fresh reboot of a PC).
  • Hardware acceleration support: Java SE 6 Update 10 RC introduces a fully hardware accelerated graphics pipeline based on the Microsoft Direct3D 9 API, translating into improved rendering of Swing applications which rely on translucency, gradients, arbitrary transformations, and other more advanced 2D operations.
  • A new cross-platform Swing look & feel, code name Nimbus, provides a nice update over 'Metal' and 'Ocean' and with exciting features.
• Next-Generation Java Plug-In A new implementation of the Java Plug-In that features:
  • Better Windows Vista support
  • Ability to specify large heap sizes
  • Ability to specify per-applet command-line arguments
  • Improved reliability
  • Improved user experience
  • Improved Java/JavaScript communications
  • Built-in JNLP support
  • Multiple JRE version support

This update release of Java SE 6 is part of Sun's overall strategy to increase the adoption of Java technology for the development of consumer oriented applications. With the advent of Web 2.0 solutions, it has become increasingly important for application developers to leverage reliable, efficient, and readily available technologies that bridge the differences between desktop-based platforms and the web.

The enhancements introduced as part of the Update 10 release will allow application developers to focus on leveraging the latest features of the Java platform without worrying about the Java platform's impact on the consumer user experience.

Sun is committed to open source all of the Java SE implementation code as part of OpenJDK project. The source code corresponding to the new features and enhancements introduced in Java SE 6 Update 10 will eventually be made available as part of the OpenJDK Project.

You most likely have a previous early access build of 6u10 installed on your system, which you need to uninstall before installing a new 6u10 build. Select 'Java 6 Family' in the Windows 'Add/Remove Programs' dialog, and click the 'Remove' button

Java Kernel divides JRE libraries into small bundles. The idea of Java Kernel is to provide the smallest possible Kernel JRE bundle that runs a simple HelloWorld program. And, once the Kernel JRE is installed, it will download the rest of the JRE bundles in the background managed by Download Manager. The reason is to reduce the size of the Kernel JRE and thus a shorter download time user will experience.

Download Manager has two different ways of downloading bundles:

i) Regular download: After Kernel JRE is installed, Download Manager will start downloading the rest of the bundles and install them in order.

ii)On-Demand download: If a user runs a Java application/applet before a complete JRE is downloaded and installed, Download Manager will check if the necessary libraries for running the application/applet is already downloaded. If not, Download Manager will download those libraries first so that the application/applet can run without waiting for the entire JRE to be completed.

No matter how Download Manager downloads the bundles, upon completing the download and installation of all the bundles, it should result in a JRE that is identical to the JRE installed with online/offline JRE installer.

Java Kernel installer has a smaller footprint and thus user can download it in a shorter time.

Yes, Java Kernel is a subset of the JRE. However, after Java Kernel completes downloading and installing the rest of the bundles downloaded by Download Manager, it will be identical (bit by bit) to a JRE.

Smaller download size and distribution size; therefore, reducing the users' wait time.

End user should not need to worry whether they are installing with JRE online/offline installer or Java Kernel installer. After Download Manager finishes downloading the bundles, and Kernel JRE finishes installing all the bundles, user will not be able to tell the difference. However, before Kernel JRE finishes the installation, user will see a folder named "bundle" under the directory. In addition, before the installation completes, running "java -version" will show user running 'Kernel VM' instead of 'Client VM' or 'Server VM'.

In 6u10, user will see Java Kernel in action only if they do not have any 6u10 builds previously installed.

By default it will trigger whichever is default on java.com, there is an api (setInstallerType()) to request specifically either 'kernel' or 'online'.

Yes

No

When user tries to run an applet or java application before completing the download and install, Download Manager will download the necessary bundles that are required by the applet or application first. After the necessary bundles are downloaded, Kernel JRE will run the applet or application. The download connection will remain and continue to download the rest of the bundles. However, your applet or application does not need to wait until all the JRE bundles are downloaded in order to run.

Yes. Once Kernel JRE is installed, the Download Manager will start downloading the rest of the bundles in the background. If download connection is established successfully, user should not need to interact with the rest of the download and installation. Therefore, providing user a seamless experience.

Download time will vary depends on the bandwidth. However, the reduced size of Kernel JRE provides shorter download time up front.

We're actually going to be holding off on the custom bundle plan, for a lot of reasons, both legal and technical.

Instead in the first Java Kernel release you will be able to specify a list of the additional bundles your particular program requires, and then they will all be downloaded ASAP as your program starts. Even without this list being specified Kernel should give a very reasonable user experience.

Java Kernel will be (again, in the first release) on the order of 4MB for most applications -- which, while still bigger than your 1MB application, is at least a far cry from 14MB. Obviously reducing this number still further is an ongoing area of research within Sun.

Since Java SE 6 Update 10, we have introduced new JavaScript functions for developers to easily detect users' Java environment and deploy their Java Applet and Java Web Start applications. The Java Deployment Toolkit includes:

• Accurate detection of installed JREs
• Seamless JRE installation
• Complete applet launching (JRE detection and, if necessary, upgrading) in a single line of code
• Complete Web Start program launching in a single line of code

Please see the Deployment Advice.

This is a new implementation of the Java Plug-In that features increased reliability, ability to specify large heap sizes, ability to select a specific JRE version to execute a particular applet, and support for signed applets on Windows Vista.

The New Plug-in is designed to work with:

• Internet Explorer 6 and 7 on Windows XP and Windows Vista
• Firefox 3 pre-release builds on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Solaris and Linux

Note: The new Plug-in does not work with Firefox 2, and no support is planned for this browser with the New Plug-in.

Sun has been working closely with the Mozilla foundation in order to get the New Java Plug-in supported in Firefox 3. Both organizations have mutually decided not to back-port the required changes --which are significant-- to Firefox 2, as it is expected that most Firefox users will upgrade to Firefox 3 a short time after its final version has been released. The 'classic' Java plug-in will be used by default with Firefox 2, even if the New Plug-in has been turned on.

Yes. The classic Java Plug-in will remain available in Java SE 6 Update 10; you can switch between the classic Plug-in and the New Plug-in at any time.

This could be because of video driver you are using. To help us troubleshoot this issue:

set J2D_TRACE_LEVEL=4 env. variable and run any Swing application (in the same console) and capture the output

Make absolutely sure that the latest drivers for the video card are installed on the system

If the new drivers helped please set J2D_TRACE_LEVEL=4 again and capture the output as well.

If upgrading the video card driver does not work, a workaround would be to use -Dsun.java2d.d3d=false.