The current release is Java Platform, Standard Edition 6 (Java SE
6). The previous release was Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition 5.0
(J2SE 5.0).
Sun Microsystems simplified the platform name in 2006 to better
reflect the level of maturity, stability, scalability, and security
built into the Java platform. Sun dropped the "2" from the name and
deleted the "dot number" (the number following the period). Any
updates to Java platforms will simply be noted as updates
rather than adding a "dot number" at the end of the platform
name.
Due to significant popularity within the Java developer
community, the development kit has reverted back to the name "JDK"
from "Java 2 SDK" (or "J2SDK"). The runtime environment has reverted
back to "JRE" from "J2RE." (Note that "JDK" stands for "J2SE
Development Kit" in version 5.0.)
For more information on platform names and version numbers, see the following pages:
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