The NetBeans Platform is the framework that underlies the NetBeans IDE – and many other desktop applications, some of which you may have already used. The Platform saves years of development time in building any significant desktop application, by providing a modular framework that simplifies both developing and updating desktop applications. It is used by vendors as diverse as Nokia (NetACT – cellular network monitoring and management) and Boeing (engineering materials analysis), UNESCO and many others, to develop applications as diverse as photo library management, satellite network management, semiconductor testing, planning oil drilling and music composition.

The NetBeans Platform is based on pure Java and uses the Java standard Swing toolkit, making applications based on it portable – and even deliverable via Java WebStart directly via the web. This talk will provide a comprehensive overview of the NetBeans Platform, how it works, and how to get started using it.

Eclipse e4 brings a new set of technologies into the existing Eclipse platform that make Eclipse applications easier to write, more configurable by developers and integrators and easier to reuse in a variety of runtime environments. In the end, attendees will be introduced to Eclipse e4 and learn about the future of the Eclipse platform.

Ed has developed a 50 minute audio-visual presentation recounting his experience in writing the book. This presentation includes audio clips from the programmers themselves, including subtitles for those for whom English is not their native language, together with insight to tie it all together.