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The NetBeans (Rich Client) Platform

There will always be a place in the world for rich client applications - there are some problems a web browser simply cannot solve. Usability is often a source of competitive advantage. Rich clients offer more ways to make software easy to use. Think about it - would you rather use mp3.com or iTunes?

Most desktop applications have common requirements - menus, document management, settings and so forth. Nobody enjoys writing menu code or setting storage code. With the NetBeans Platform, you don't have to. Just write modules to implement what you need, bundle them up with the NetBeans Platform, and you have a beautiful, branded, cross-platform application.

The NetBeans Platform is pure 100% Java and will run anywhere there is a compatible JVM. NetBeans-based apps are write-once, run-anywhere.

NetBeans Platform

Download NetBeans Platform 4.1
Download NetBeans Platform 5.0 beta 2
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Benefits

The NetBeans Platform is an application runtime - a "generic large desktop application." It offers, for desktop apps, the same advantages J2EE architecture brings to the server:

  • A runtime deployment context for arbitrary functionality that simplifies development.

  • Time-tested, reusable logic that can save developer-years of work, money and bug-fixing.

  • The freedom to concentrate on business logic instead of rewriting and debugging the same logic that is common to almost any desktop application.

  • Prebuilt components you can reuse, mix and match which solve common problems.

  • A set of standards to enhance and enforce consistency and interoperability across applications and platforms.

  • A common base for multiple applications. Many users of the platform use it, and the modules they develop, as the basis for multiple applications that share common logic. The NetBeans Platform, as a modular runtime, provides a solid foundation and set of standards for design and coupling that encourages clean design and robust applications.

And if you need custom functionality or components, the Platform is built to be flexible. Include what you need, leave out what you don't.