NB6WhatsNext

These are just totally random thoughts on what's next after NetBeans 6.0. Covers mostly platform, j2se, j2ee/web and scripting.

Possible release themes for the next release after 6

Bugfixing release with short release cycle, mostly minor features that are follow up on 6.0, address feedback, finish work that just did not make 6.0, no big themes. Release (or at least beta) for Java One 08.
Integration - find a model for including more plugins into distro, better customization of install, expand the theme of "big IDE" beyond the "packs" onto community / partner developed plugins - what do you have to pass to get into distro, who tests it, etc.?
Move to "continuous beta" release of NetBeans - ship continuously mini releases of modules not as a big-bang release once X months
So what's really the next big thing (7.0)?

Java editor - harvest the hard work done in retouche
Rich web interface - 'AJAX' components/frameworks, JavaScript, REST, CSS, visual markup editor, (integrated native browser?)
Light weight web frameworks - Ruby/Rails, PHP, phobos
Scripting (non web) - Ruby, JavaScript, Groovy
Persistence - DB, JPA - improve SQL - completion, visual editor, E-R diagram, JPA round trip, JPQL
Usability - options, consolidate window types (do we need 20 different styles of output windows?), eliminate flow breakers - more in-place control by keyboard (do not make the user grab mouse and start a wizard when not needed)
Everything else - more improvements never hurts

Vastly improved editing - type inference and improved code completion based on that
Various contexts - browser + libraries or server side or JVM (classpath), completion, execution, etc. based on the context
Debugging of JavaScript for/in browser
Debugging based on Rhino (JVM, server side)

Visual (not necessarily WYSIWYG) editor for markup languages (html, rhtml, xhtml, jsf, php, ..)
Design time behavior for components that use JavaScript
Bundle and support components - jMaki, Dojo, etc., JSF components (any)

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