Agile techniques focus on small iterative steps in the development cycle, each step adding functionality to an initially simple code base. Yet, real-life projects must often operate in the context of vast amounts of legacy artifacts, including data. A recent article looks at working with legacy data in the context of agile development methods.

In a recent interview, Apache's Geir Magnusson talks about Geronimo, the open-source implementation of J2EE 1.4, the rational for the new Apache project Harmony that aims to provide a common ground for J2SE implementations, and open-source.

The new release of the open-source Java search engine contains over thirty new features and numerous enhancements. Here's a quick look at some of them.

In this first of a five-part series on developerWorks, Brett McLaughlin explains what Shale is, how it's different from the Struts framework, and how to install and set it up in your development environment.

A recently submitted Sun JCP JSR aims to add dynamic language support to Java at the virtual machine level. An invokedynamic keyword is proposed, along with hotswapping, the ability to modify the structure of Java classes at runtime.

Potix Corp has released ZK 1.0, an AJAX library that claims to make the asynchronous part of doing AJAX easier as well as providing a library of UI components.

PMEase announces the release of QuickBuild 1.0, the professional version of the open source build server, Luntbuild. Besides being a decent build automation and continuous integration server, it puts extra emphasis on build management

Design patterns are good to know, but even more important are design principles. If you don't know why you're using a design pattern, you shouldn't be using it.

Sun's Java site, java.sun.com, has an interview with Sun Lab's Misha Dmitriev, the creator of JFluid, a profiling tool that relies on hotswapping for bytecode instrumentation to collect information on the fly.

Black Duck Software, the leading provider of software compliance management solutions, today announced the release of a plug-in that will integrate the company’s innovative protexIP™ suite with the popular, open Eclipse Platform.

CodeFutures, the Java persistence software tool vendor, today announced the availability of a FireStorm/DAO 3.0 Release Candidate 1.

Invitation for Priority Access to Next Version of leading AJAX development tool -- TIBCO® General Interface, Exclusive Webinars Give Headstart to Developers Creating Rich Internet Applications Using AJAX

Blandware announced the availability of Blandware AtLeap 0.5 Release Candidate 1, a multilingual free Java CMS (Content Management System) with full-text search engine. Blandware AtLeap is a framework which allows you to rapidly start your own Web application.

Clustering Java, using the Terracotta Virtualization Server (TVS), increases the stability and fault tolerance of Java applications while simultaneously reducing ongoing development and operating costs.

Visual Paradigm Smart Development Environment 3.0 for Eclipse (SDE-EC) is a UML modeling plug-in for Eclipse.