Vice president, Sun Fellow, and Java technology creator Dr. James Gosling will join Sun Microsystems' Developer Platforms group as chief technology officer. Most recently, Dr. Gosling focused his time in the Sun Labs, leading a research team on advanced designs for software developer tools including refactoring methodology and pursuing advanced technology research initiatives such as the well-known project called Jackpot. In his new role, Dr. Gosling will work to bring the Java and tools technology advances achieved by the Sun Labs team into the commercial space.

"Since Java technology's creation, James has been instrumental in delivering on a constant vision for Java technology as a powerful language and platform for revolutionizing the developer experience," said Jonathan Schwartz, executive vice president of Sun software. "James' unique contribution and legendary expertise will allow Sun to continue to evolve the developer experience by engineering out complexity, increasing productivity and driving toward the goal of 10 million Java technology developers."

"Sun's developer tools and programs are essential elements to the enduring success of Java technology, and an integral part of the Java Enterprise System," said James Gosling. "Working with the Labs team over the years, we've designed concepts for improving the development cycle from end-to-end. I'm looking forward to bringing those ideas into the product set and to sharing Sun's passion for innovation with our customers and partners."

• Sun's Gosling: "Our Future is NetBeans"