The Java-based Web Toolkit, currently on version 1.3, is designed to simplify the process of building AJAX-based Web apps that work efficiently in different browsers.

Elements have been used by Google to build some of its own products, such as Gmail and Calendar. Developers write applications in Java, and the GWT converts them to JavaScript and HTML for deployment.

"We've been working hard to build great tools for AJAX development, and now we're happy to begin working with the open source community towards the same goal," Peterson wrote.

The latest GWT release, 1.3, is identical to 1.2, save for its source code being available -- a strategy Google adopted deliberately to avoid confusing the existing GWT user base.

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