Microsoft and Sun Microsystems this week announced an agreement under which Sun will offer the MSN Toolbar to anyone who downloads Sun's Java Runtime Environment.

"The deal will allow Internet Explorer users who download the JRE to access Windows Live Search, Hotmail and Messenger with a single mouse click," writes ChannelWeb's Kevin McLaughlin. "While not exactly earth-shattering, this type of cooperation would have been unimaginable prior to Microsoft and Sun's 2004 interoperability pact, when the relationship was defined by visceral loathing..."

"Until today, JRE also piggybacked Google's browser toolbar," notes The Register's Cade Metz. "But as it makes room for Redmond, Sun has divorced the Mountain View ad broker."

"Sun reckons Java platform is on 91 per cent of Internet-connected PCs, and says its Java Runtime Environment is downloaded tens of millions times every month," writes The Inquirer's Paul Hales.

More here from InformationWeek ... more here from InternetNews ... more here from TechFlash ... more here from TG Daily ... more here from Reuters ... more here from ZDNet ... more here from Geek.com ... and the press release is here.

Sun Microsystems today announced the release of Sun GlassFish Enterprise Server v3 Prelude, along with a preview of features to be included in the upcoming Java Platform Enterprise Edition 6.

"GlassFish Enterprise Server version 3 Prelude is a lightweight Web application server that is based on a modular OSGi (Open Services Gateway Initiative) architecture, said Paul Hinz, director of Java Enterprise System at Sun," writes eWeek's Darryl K. Taft. "Hinz noted that Sun also is providing a preview of features that will be available in the upcoming Java EE 6 release. Java EE 6 is slated for release around the time of JavaOne 2009, which will be in early June."

"Glassfish v3 Prelude will include enhanced abilities for users to run dynamic development languages in addition to pure Java," writes InternetNews' Sean Michael Kerner. "One of the languages highlighted by Hinz is Ruby, which is supported on Glassfish as JRuby. Hinz noted that to date, Sun has seen demand for running Ruby applications on a Java app server with some demand for users that want to run the Ruby on Rails framework as well."

The press release is here.

Nokia today announced a new SDK for SNAP Mobile, its end-to-end solution for connected mobile gaming in Java. The SNAP Mobile SDK 2.2 offers a range of new features including a game template, a skinnable user interface framework, and support for J2SE and Bot API. The SDK is available for download now at Forum Nokia.

"By adding these new elements to the SNAP Mobile SDK, we're making it faster and easier for developers to add connected gaming elements to their games," says Jonathan Sharp, Nokia's director of games strategy. "Consumers expect more and more from their mobile games, and this SDK will help developers deliver great Java games with superior connected gaming elements."

PopCap Games used the SNAP Mobile SDK 2.2 to add connected functionality to its game Chuzzle, with only minimal redesign to the UI.

More here from Daily Mobile ... and the press release is here.

Sun has come up with JAR files for JAX-RS which is the new Java API for Representational State Transfer or REST Web Services. REST encodes information directly into URL which enables HTTP protocol to handle most of the pressure. It can be considered as a replacement for conventional SOAP practices.

JAX-RS makes the design process for RESTful Web services undemanding leading to an easier API to be written when compared with the Java Web Services APIs.

This is what Dr. Marc J. Hadley, senior staff engineer at Sun had to say about REST:

I think it's simpler. There's so much in HTTP that is still to be fully exploited. Without going to SOAP, there's so much you can already do that people don't realize. I can see there are cases where you can step up to SOAP. But JAX-RS is of the Web, whereas JAX-WS sort of inherits that SOAP thing where the Web is just a transport. JAX-WS is over the Web, rather of the Web.

You can download JAX-RS for free out here.

It was in the month of January that Sun Microsystems paid a whopping $1 billion to acquire MySQL but it seems cracks have already started to develop since the deal went through.

David Axmark, co-founder of My SQL intends to leave the company and is upset about having to work under a new management team coupled with new rules. This is what David felt about why he was a misfit for the organization:

I have thought about my role at Sun and decided that I am better off in smaller organizations. I HATE all the rules that I need to follow, and I also HATE breaking them. It would be far better for me to 'retire' from employment and work with MySQL and Sun on a less formal basis.

David Axmark occupied several important positions at MySQL including the likes of Head of Internal IT, Head of Engineering and Head of Community Relations. It was David Axmark who played a major role in making My SQL open source software.

Sun might say his departure won't make much of an impact in the day to day functioning of the company but imagine a company without its key brain who played a major role in making what MySQL is today!!

It was almost a year ago Yahoo took over Zimbra but it took Yahoo more than a decade to update its calendar service and for this purpose it deployed the technology of Zimbra. The latest Yahoo Calendar is based on the Zimbra platform which deploys Ajax functionality in its online calendars and iCalendar and CalDAV3 standards.

This new Calendar from Yahoo is interoperable with other calendar services such as Apple, AOL, Microsoft and Mozilla. When Zimbra was acquired by Yahoo this move was seen as a strategy to give competition to Google Apps. With Zimbra, Yahoo aims to come with a more open platform with the help of mashups and API across its several products. Hopefully Zimbra platform will make its presence in future products from Yahoo.