Top 15 Google Apps For Business

Last month, Google acquired Instantiations, a maker of Java programming tools, for an undisclosed sum.

This month, Google is offering Instantiations' products for free. Bruce Johnson of the Google developer team made the announcement in a blog post on Thursday.

The newly free software includes: GWT Designer, Eclipse-based development tools that facilitate the creation of Ajax user interfaces in Google Web Toolkit; CodePro AnalytiX, a tool to enhance software code quality and security analysis; WindowBuilder Pro, a Java GUI design tool for a variety of frameworks such as Swing, SWT, GWT, RCP, and XWT UI; and WindowTester Pro, a tool for testing in Java client rich applications that utilize the SWT and Swing UI frameworks.

Previously, these software applications were fairly expensive. WindowBuilder Pro, for example, used to sell for $329; WindowTester Pro used to cost from $499 to $799; and CodePro AnalytiX started at $6,395.

Google's next step, said Johnson, will be to integrate these tools with the Google Plugin for Eclipse (GPE).

In another developer-oriented announcement, Google unveiled a redesign of golang.org, the official Web site of the Go programming language.

The renovated site now includes the Go Playground, an online tool that allows visitors to enter and execute Go code.

"We hope that this will give curious programmers an opportunity to try the language before installing it, and experienced Go users a convenient place in which to experiment," said Google engineer Andrew Gerrand in a blog post.

The Go programming language was introduced in November, 2009 and was the 16th most popular programming language during the first half of September, 2010, according to Tiobe's search-based index.