An update to Sun's Integrated Development Environment, NetBeans 5.5 has been introduced and it features full support for Java EE 5. Besides this it also offers features such as Java Persistence API and JAX WS 2.0 productivity tools, enhancements to NetBeans GUI Builder and Subversion support.

Also five add on packs for NetBeans 5.5 have been introduced by Sun which offers specific functionality for development projects. These packs are:

NetBeans Mobility Pack
NetBeans Visual Web Pack
NetBeans Enterprise Pack
NetBeans Profiler 5.5 Pack
NetBeans C/C++ Pack

A number of features are offered by it's add on packs.

Enterprise Pack

The Enterprise Pack adds tools for building, testing, and debugging service-oriented architecture (SOA) applications using XML, BPEL, and Java web services.

Mobility Pack

The Mobility Pack 5.5 adds support for Scalable Vector Graphics in Java ME applications.

Profiler 5.5 Pack

The Profiler 5.5 adds support for several new runtime environments and makes it easier to profile the properties of Enterprise Java Beans (EJBs).

Visual Web Pack

The Visual Web Pack is designed for building Web applications, with emphasis on Ajax-enabled JavaServer Faces components.

C/C++ Pack

The C/C++ Pack makes it possible for C/C++ developers to use the NetBeans IDE.

Now you can freely download Netbeans 5.5 and three of it's add on packs. As of now its C/C++ and Visual Web packs are in beta and would be released by the end of this year.