JavaWorld explores two Sun initiatives for XML processing in an an article on Adelard, their data-binding initiative, and an article on JAXP, the Java API for XML Processing.

Adelard builds on the framework for schema-based data-binding being developed through the Java Community Process (JCP) in JSR-31, and is being presented as:

"an alternative to existing technologies like Simple API for XML (SAX) and Document Object Model (DOM). These technologies, while useful, operate at the level of individual elements and attributes. The application code must implement the bridge from these low-level components to business-level entities. Adelard, on the other hand, will map XML documents structures directly to business-level objects."

JAXP is also a product of the JCP, developed as JSR-5, and version 1.0 is available. The article focuses on the next round of development, JAXP 1.1, organized as JSR-63. JAXP currently includes DOM and SAX processing, but the plans for 1.1 appear to be much more expansive, including XSL, XBase, XPointer, and XPath.