Troubled development tool maker Borland has launched a high-end Java software product it hopes will put it back on the road to recovery.
Its new product, JBuilder, was created to address the huge demand for programs written in the Java language. It supports Java standards such as 100% Pure Java, Java Beans, Corba and JDBC.
Java is a language used in much of the communication between computers operating on the Internet or corporate networks.
'People have told us that they want to be able to build 100% Pure Java applications,' said Theresa Lanowitz, Borland International group product manager.
JBuilder Standard 1.0, aimed at amateur programmers, is priced at HK$800 while JBuilder Professional 1.0 for developers and consultants costs HK$6,040. A client/server suite will be released later this year.
Once the world's third largest software company, Borland has suffered from shrinking revenues, unprofitable acquisitions, management shake-ups and a fierce rivalry with Microsoft.
Borland chief executive officer Del Yocam - a former Apple executive who joined the firm last November - vowed to bring the company back to profitability, laying off 300 staff and shifting Borland's focus back towards hardcore development tools.