NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA scientists announced they are releasing free software that will find 'bugs,' or defects, in Java computer code. The new software, Java Pathfinder, is classified as 'open source software.' Open source software is computer code that scientists make publicly available, often at no cost, so users can freely utilize and modify it. Java is a computer language that software developers frequently use to write programs for computer networks such as the Internet.

The Java Pathfinder work is part of an effort to develop tools and methods to identify and eliminate software errors in NASA's increasingly complex and mission-critical software systems. Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems.

	ACD05-0061-002 Willem Visser stands in front of a projection of a Java Pathfinder software computer screen at NASA Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley. + View Larger Image
	ACD05-0061-003 Peter Mehlitz stands in front of a projection of a Java Pathfinder software computer screen at NASA Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley. + View Larger Image
	ACD05-0061-004 Left to right: Corina Pasareanu, Dimitra Giannakopoulou and Willem Visser stand in front of a white board discussing Java Pathfinder software at NASA Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley. + View Larger Image
	ACD05-0061-005 Java Pathfinder screen shot + View Larger Image
	ACD05-0061-010 Java Pathfinder screen shot + View Larger Image
	ACD05-0061-011 Java Pathfinder screen shot + View Larger Image

NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.