The following enhancements have been done for the deployment in the Java 5.0.

• Much of the common functionality between Java Plug-in and Java Web Start has been combined. There is now a single Java Control Panel for both.


• Security: (1) This release features improved security access and control, including both user- and system-level security options and an expanded list of deployment properties. (2) Several new configuration properties have been added so that an enterprise can customize user security settings. These allow control of what applications a user is allowed to grant trust to, and what permissions are given to code for which trust is granted.


• Enterprise Configuration: Both deployment products can now be configured with an enterprise configuration file. This file, accessed as a URL, can set any set of configuration properties, either as defaults, or as locked properties which cannot be overridden by the user.


• Support is available for pack/crunch compression for downloading Java applications and applets. Pack200, a new hyper-compression format for JAR files, can reduce the download size to about 1/8th of the original size.


• Support of browser keystores in Internet Explorer and Mozilla in Java Plug-in and Web Start:


• Certificates and keys in browser keystores will be used for signing verification, HTTPS server authentication, and HTTPS client authentication.


• Support of time-stamped, signed JAR files: With time-stamping now built into the signing tool, Java Plug-in and Java Web Start now recognize the time-of-signing information when they verify a signed JAR file. This solves the problem of a signed applet signed with a valid certificate at time-of-signing but the certificate expired later after the applet deployment.


• Support of Client Authentication in HTTPS: This release provides interactive user interface in Java Plug-in and Java Web Start during HTTPS client authentication for users to select the personal certificate from the personal keystore.