The current release is Java Platform, Standard Edition 6 (Java SE 6). The previous release was Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition 5.0 (J2SE 5.0).

Sun Microsystems simplified the platform name in 2006 to better reflect the level of maturity, stability, scalability, and security built into the Java platform. Sun dropped the "2" from the name and deleted the "dot number" (the number following the period). Any updates to Java platforms will simply be noted as updates rather than adding a "dot number" at the end of the platform name.

Due to significant popularity within the Java developer community, the development kit has reverted back to the name "JDK" from "Java 2 SDK" (or "J2SDK"). The runtime environment has reverted back to "JRE" from "J2RE." (Note that "JDK" stands for "J2SE Development Kit" in version 5.0.)

For more information on platform names and version numbers, see the following pages:

• Java SE 6 Platform Name and Version Numbers
• J2SE Version 1.5.0 or 5.0?
• J2SE SDK/JRE Version String Naming Convention