It's JavaOne show time again. The Java Community Process (JCP) Program and its members have a lot to share from the latest Java specification (JSR) accomplishments showcased in a diversity of forms at the conference, including technical sessions (TS), birds-of-a-feather meetings (BOF), industry panels, training sessions, round tables, and community events. Let me give you a mini tour of some of the JSRs on the conference agenda this year.

I'll start with the Technical General Session featuring Graham Hamilton and Bill Shannon, Sun Microsystems. Their talk will present key directions of the Java Platform, Standard Edition 6 (Java SE 6), and the Java Platform, Enterprise Edition 5 (Java EE 5), future releases both developed based on two Java platform specifications (JSR) built through the JCP Program: JSR 270 and JSR 244. You'll want to hear from the architects what's under the hood today and what the future holds. If you want to dive into certain aspects of the specs, check out the individual technical sessions based on them included in the Content Catalog Viewer of the Conference (accessible from http://java.sun.com/javaone/sf/sessions.jsp).

Java API for XML-Based Web Services (JAX-WS) 2.0, JSR 224, is showcased in TS 1194. If you're a developer of client applications, you probably already put it on your conference schedule. Even if your interest is broader, you'll want to check out this session presented by the spec leads of the JSR, Rajiv Mordani and Roberto Chinnici, both from Sun. The major focus of this standard is ease-of-development in order to allow the technology to be used by a wide circle of developers and simplify their tasks. The specification extends Java APIs for XML-based RPC in a number of different areas including alignment with JSR 181, Web Services Metadata for the Java Platform. Attend the TS and you'll find out how the spec strongly aligns with Java Architecture for XML Binding (JAXB) 2.0, to which it delegates all data binding-related tasks, and how it supports new versions of external standards from organizations such as W3C and WS-I.

More about JAXB 2.0, JSR 222, can be learned in this JSR's own technical session, TS 1607. Driven by Sun, this standard is the next version of JAXB, the Java Architecture for XML Binding. It brings additional functionality while retaining ease of development, and provides support for W3C XML Schema features including frequently requested features such as type and element substitution.

Another JSR-based session is Version 2.0 of the Portlet Specification, JSR 286, headed by IBM. It's presented at TS 3627 and showcases the functionality that will be added to the new Portlet Specifications. This API is based on the version 1.0 defined in JSR 168 and will be binary-compatible with version 1.0. Mark this session on your calendar to find out about the features and requirements that will be addressed in this JSR.

If you want to find out what's being planned for Java Archives (JARs) used as distribution and execution format for Java applications, include JSR 277, Java Module System - BOF 0684, in your JavaOne itinerary. The specification developed by Sun sets out to define a distribution format and a repository for collections of Java code and related resources as well as discovery, loading, and integrity mechanisms at runtime.

The spec leads will present the thinking and work around uniform deployment models for Java applications and extensions, resolving versioning conflicts and namespace collision among Java extensions in a JRE, and sharing Java extensions among different JREs on the same system.

Talked about widely and capturing the interest of all developers, JSR 220, Enterprise JavaBeans 3.0, has its own technical session, TS 1887. Co-led by Sun and Oracle, the standard improves the EJB architecture, making it easier for a wider range of developers to use it. Attend the technical session to discover the exciting improvements the API incorporates.

Another Sun-led JSR, 269, Pluggable Annotation Preocessing API, is the topic of BOF 0606. The spec lead and members of the JSR Expert Group get together to offer an update on adding standard annotations processing to JDK 6. Full benefits of annotations is expected to be realized at the end of this standardization work.

IBM and BEA, the drivers of JSR 235, Service Data Objects (SDO), partner at TS-3676 to talk about how developers will be able to simplify data access and representation in service-oriented software by replacing data access models with a uniform abstraction for creating, retrieving, updating, and deleting business data used by service implementations.

Two spec leads from Nokia team up to present at BOF 2810, the recently finalized JSR 256, Mobile Sensor API. The standard defines basic sensor functionality for mobile devices and extends the usability and choice of sensors for Java ME applications. If you want to learn how new applications are enabled by the use of sensors, attend this hands-on BOF.

Another partnership, this time between Nokia and Vodafone spec leads, brings to life JSR 248, Mobile Service Architecture featured in TS-4936. It's a tutorial you don't want to miss if you desire to have a sneak-peak at the rich functionality designed to create a highly predictive Java platform for mobile devices.

JSR 232, Mobile Operational Management, led by Motorola and Nokia, is the topic of TS-3757. The session will offer an introduction to the spec under development through the JCP Program and will explain the benefits this standard sets out to pass on to developers.

Another JSR led by Nokia, JSR 257, Contactless Communication API, is presented at TS-3789. Close to final development stage at the time of writing, this specification defines a standardized way to utilize contactless communication in Java ME applications based, for example, on RFID, NFC (Near Field Communication), or bar codes. Developers interested in code examples and demos of how JSR 257 Contactless Communication API can be used should attend.

Nokia and Motorola, co-spec leads of JSR 272, Mobile Broadcast Service API for Handheld Terminals, will present at TS 4693 the features of this set of APIs. In early development stages under the JCP, the spec will allow designing device-independent broadcast applications. If you want to get an overview of the technology and the APIs along with code samples from the experts, this is a tech session you shouldn't miss.

This is just a sampling of JSR-based technology events at the 2006 JavaOne Conference rather than a complete overview. For a complete search of JSR-based sessions, go to http://java.sun.com/javaone/sf/sessions.jsp.