[Bluej-announce] BlueJ release: version 1.2.2

[Michael Kölling]

Dear BlueJ users,

Three new announcements:

1 - BlueJ version 1.2.2 has been released
2 - A textbook has been published that integrates BlueJ
3 - Development roadmap


1   BlueJ version 1.2.2 has been released

This new version includes feature improvements and bug fixes. The 
timing of this released was forced because a serious bug was reported 
by several users that caused BlueJ's debugger to freeze with jdk 1.4.1. 
This release fixes this bug. It also contains other bug fixes and 
several features that were originally intended for the upcoming BlueJ 
1.3 release, such as evaluation of free form expressions, and an 'Open 
recent' item in the Project menu.

You can download the new version, as always, from   http://www.bluej.org


2   A textbook has been published that integrates BlueJ

David Barnes and I have worked for a long time on writing an 
introductory programming textbook that closely integrates BlueJ and 
uses the pedagogical approach that led to the development of BlueJ.

This book has now been published. It is an introduction to 
object-oriented programming with Java and BlueJ. The title is "Objects 
First with Java - A Practical Introduction using BlueJ". Teachers can 
request free evaluation copies.

Details about the book are at   http://www.bluej.org/objects-first/


3   Development roadmap

We are currently working on producing BlueJ version 1.3. This version 
will have two significant enhancements: Support for unit testing and an 
extension framework.

Unit testing is supported through tight integration of JUnit into 
BlueJ. In addition to the usual writing and execution of test cases, 
users will be able to record a sequence of interactive method calls to 
create test cases.

The extension framework (developed by a cooperating group at the 
University of Kent at Canterbury) will allow programmers to write 
extensions ("plug-ins") to add functionality to the BlueJ core.

We are planning a BlueJ 1.3 beta release within two months. The beta 
will include the unit testing functionality and a first extension: an 
automatic assignment submission function. Some time after this, we will 
publish the extension API so that other developers can write BlueJ 
extensions.

Regards,

Michael Kölling
-- 
Michael Kölling                                       Mærsk Institute
http://www.mip.sdu.dk/~mik             University of Southern Denmark