We want to provide a solution for using XML from Java that is as simple as Java itself.

There is no compelling reason for a Java API to manipulate XML to be complex, tricky, unintuitive, or a pain in the neck. JDOM^TM is both Java-centric and Java-optimized. It behaves like Java, it uses Java collections, it is completely natural API for current Java developers, and it provides a low-cost entry point for using XML.

While JDOM interoperates well with existing standards such as the Simple API for XML (SAX) and the Document Object Model (DOM), it is not an abstraction layer or enhancement to those APIs. Rather, it provides a robust, light-weight means of reading and writing XML data without the complex and memory-consumptive options that current API offerings provide.