Apache Targets August For J2EE App Server Release

The Apache Software Foundation should release a fully J2EE-compliant application server by Aug. 6, developers on the open-source Geronimo Project said last week.

Jeremy Boynes, a founding partner of the Core Developers Network, said the Geronimo application server is about to go into J2EE certification testing and should be certified and ready to go in several months, barring any unforeseen complications.

"Being an open-source project, Geronimo does not quite fit with the scheduled release plans of commercial software," Boynes said. "We do have an unofficial target date of Aug. 6, but the actual date will be determined by the project team once Geronimo passes the J2EE CTS."

In the meantime, a beta of Geronimo will be available later this month, he added. Boynes also said developers on the project are meeting next week in London to discuss its status.

Apache launched the Geronimo Project Aug. 6, 2003, and the well-respected open-source group became an official J2EE licensee in November. Geronimo is a part of The Apache Incubator Project, which provides an entry-level path for developers to contribute to open-source projects in their early stages.While the JBoss open-source J2EE application server already is hugely popular with developers for use in commercial deployments, some think a fully compliant product from Apache could inspire even more support for using an open-source application server in enterprise-scale applications.

For one, Apache is a nonprofit, whereas JBoss Inc., the company that oversees the JBoss project, has a business model to derive revenue from providing services using its application server, said Winston Damarillo, president of application infrastructure ISV Gluecode, Los Angeles. "Some vendors prefer [to acquire] open-source software from a nonprofit community," he said.

For another, Apache is a "responsible organization" that has proven it can work successfully with the all-important ISV community, said Joe Lindsay, CTO of Costa Mesa, Calif.-based solution provider eBuilt.

"I think Apache has proven a better partner for ISVs [than JBoss]," Lindsay said. "They've proven they can work better with ISV community. They have managed to have Oracle, Sun [Microsystems] and IBM embed their products. I think what Apache is doing is very healthy."

The use of open-source software above the operating system layer is on the rise, a fact that has forced commercial J2EE application server vendors such as BEA Systems and IBM to diversify their core app server businesses. However, some feel that commercial application servers will never be completely obsolete because customers want the safety net of vendor support for enterprise software infrastructure."I think Geronimo will add to pricing pressure somewhat, just as JBoss has," said Shawn Willett, principal analyst with Current Analysis, Sterling, Va. "However, the problem with all the open-source implementations is lack of support from major vendors."

If a vendor such as IBM, a frequent Apache contributor that based its WebSphere Portal on the Apache Jetspeed project, were to offer support for Geronimo, "that would be a big deal," Willett said.

This article appears courtesy of CRN.