“This collaboration will bring the richness of the modern web, the power of Java technology and the unique capabilities of OpenLaszlo together for the benefit of our respective developer communities," said Robert Brewin (pictured), CTO of Sun Microsystems' software group, as Sun and Laszlo Systems today announced a collaboration to enable OpenLaszlo applications to run on devices supporting Java ME.

"The integration of OpenLaszlo and Java ME technology is another important step in the evolution of mobile computing,” Brewin added.

OpenLaszlo is a widely adopted open source application development platform that uses Ajax-style programming techniques, integrating XML and JavaScript, to create rich and robust online experiences. Currently in version 3.3, it was designed from its inception to support the instantaneous, no-download deployment of web applications on a diverse set of client runtime environments. As part of the new collaboration, Sun and Laszlo are actively contributing resources to a new project for the OpenLaszlo community, code-named Orbit.

Now with further extension to support the Java ME platform, OpenLaszlo will offer an unprecedented level of development portability and flexibility across a wide variety of Java technology-based phones, television set-top boxes, and other connected devices.

"Support for OpenLaszlo applications further enhances one of the key strengths of the Java platform – the ability to support development environments and authoring tools targeting a broad spectrum of developer skills and preferences," Brewin said.

“We’re pleased to be working with Sun, which is a big step forward in furthering our collective vision of enabling seamless application support for all connected devices,” said David Temkin, founder and CTO of Laszlo Systems. “With both companies' strong commitment to open source and open standards, today’s announcement marks a significant milestone towards those efforts,” he added.

Sun and Laszlo expect to release the first demonstrable Project Orbit application running under the Java ME platform later this year. For more information on Project Orbit and its goals, please visit www.java.net or www.openlaszlo.org/orbit. To become a contributor to the Project, registration is available at www.openlaszlo.org/orbit.