Delivering on its commitment to provide schools an alternative to expensive and complex computing solutions, Sun Microsystems, Inc. announced the rollout of the Sun Java Desktop System to the K-12 and higher education market. The Java Desktop System for Education is an affordable, comprehensive, simple to use and secure enterprise-class desktop solution. It introduces a business model to education institutions that provides a single price of $25 per desktop per year for the desktop software, maintenance, support and training.

The Java Desktop System provides a complete desktop environment of productivity tools for students, which includes an office suite, Web browser, e-mail, calendar, instant messaging and more. In addition, Java Desktop System is the only environment with fully integrated Java technology, making this "out-of-the-box" desktop ready to run thousands of Java technology-based applications with a consistent look and feel. The introduction of the Java Desktop System to the education market builds on Sun's earlier delivery of the Sun Java Enterprise System to education institutions. Java Enterprise System is Sun's radical new approach to reducing cost and complexity of IT infrastructure software by making it simple, predictable, and affordable. It provides all the necessary software components and network services fully integrated as one entity at a price of $50 per full-time faculty member and administrative employee per year.