Java SE 6 Update N ( Consumer JRE )

Java SE 6 Update N ( Consumer JRE ) available for testing Give it a try

Features available for testing

• Deployment Toolkit (To be included)
  The Deployment Toolkit takes the guess work out of determining what versions of the JRE end users have installed on their PC. It supplies Java based web applet/application deployers with a simple interface to accomplish Java detection and installation.
• Java QuickStarter
  The Quick Starter feature will prefetch portions of the JRE into memory, substantially decreasing the average JRE cold start-up time (the time that it takes to launch a Java application for the first time after a fresh reboot of a PC).
• Hardware acceleration support
  Java SE 6 Update N introduces a fully hardware accelerated graphics pipeline based on the Microsoft Direct3D 9 API, translating into improved rendering of Swing applications which rely on translucency, gradients, arbitrary transformations, and other more advanced 2D operations.
• Nimbus
  A new cross-platform Swing look & feel, code name Nimbus, provides a nice update over 'Metal' and 'Ocean', and more!

Features currently not available for testing

• Kernel installation mode
  The Kernel installation mode lets first time Java users run applets and Web Start applications without waiting for the whole JRE download. While the default Kernel installation will work with existing Java applets, application developers have the ability to select libraries that should be installed with the kernel, before the rest of the JRE is installed on the end user's system.
  
  Note: The Kernel installation mode relies on a specific backend infrastructure setup that is still undergoing internal testing. The URL from which a JRE installation in Kernel mode can be initiated will be posted at a later date. Stay tuned or subscribe our live link feed for lastest news & information: Java SE 6 Update N Early Access


• New Java Update download engine & Patch-in-Place
  For current users of Java SE, the JRE update mechanism has also been improved, using a patch-in-place mechanism that translates in a faster and more reliable update process. As an added benefit, follow-on update releases will no longer be listed as separate items in the Windows "Add or Remove Programs" dialog. A new Java update download engine provides end users with the convenience of pausing and resuming the JRE download, and relies on a more reliable download mechanism.