Apache NetBeans 9.0 - Release Candidate Review

First, I want to thank all of the developers that have been working hard on the Apache NetBeans 9.0 release.  I am on the mailing lists and these developers have been working around the clock to ensure that this release is solid.  I was part of the NetBeans 9.0 NETCAT testing team for the profiler tool this year.  I only contributed a few hours of testing, but it was a great experience to be part of the team helping to move NetBeans forward.  There are plenty of people who have contributed dozens of hours...so thank you!

Release Candidate 1 (currently in testing and not yet officially released) can be downloaded using the following links:

Build Artifacts:
https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/incubator/netbeans/incubating-netbeans-java/incubating-9.0-rc1-rc1

ZIP Artifact:
https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/dev/incubator/netbeans/incubating-netbeans-java/incubating-9.0-rc1-rc1/incubating-netbeans-java-9.0-rc1-source.zip

This release of NetBeans constitutes all of the modules within the Apache NetBeans GitHub repository ((https://github.com/apache/incubator-netbeans).  These modules include the NetBeans Platform and the full IDE for Java SE development.

There are still a number of tasks that will need to be performed before moving forward, but Release Candidate 1 is a huge step.  In the coming days/weeks, there will likely be another release candidate which will include some final pieces, such as a new splash screen.  We are getting very close to the official Apache NetBeans IDE 9.0 release.

Keep in mind that this first release does not include the transfer of all NetBeans modules.  For instance, the Java EE modules have not yet been transferred or included in Apache NetBeans 9.0.  That transfer will occur sometime in the future.  However, it is still possible to develop Java EE applications using Apache NetBeans 9.0 by simply installing the Java EE related NetBeans 8.2 plugins.  I am doing this today and it works well!

Stay tuned during the coming weeks for the official release of Apache NetBeans 9.0.  In the meantime, get involved!  Please download the Release Candidate and take it for a spin.  Join the NetBeans developer mailing list to provide feedback and/or vote on upcoming release candidates.

https://netbeans.apache.org/