A rift between the developers of the open source JBoss J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition) application server has brought the
Apache Software Foundation (ASF) into the J2EE game.
The ASF announced last week that it had begun work on a new J2EE server called Geronimo, which the foundation believes will
be a more business-friendly alternative to the other open source J2EE servers currently available, according to Apache Software
Foundation Chairman Greg Stein.
Companies such as IBM and BEA Systems sell commercial J2EE servers, but open source implementations of Sun's J2EE specification
are popular among developers looking for a low-cost alternative to IBM's WebSphere and BEA's WebLogic.
"What Geronimo is going to do is cherry pick a bunch of projects from around the ASF and then fill in a bunch of holes that
J2EE requires," said Stein. "Businesses are not afraid of the Apache license," he added, "which means that businesses can
participate."
There are already two popular open source J2EE servers in circulation: JBoss and the Jonas server. But both have had difficulties
in obtaining J2EE certification from Sun Microsystems, and neither is available under an Apache-style software license, which
is considered more conducive to commercial development. "There isn't a certified server out there, and there certainly isn't
one that has a low restriction license like ours," said Stein.
Geronimo will have an easier time obtaining J2EE certification than did its open source rivals, because the ASF's non-profit
status makes the application server a candidate for Sun scholarship, which would pay for certification, Stein said.
A certified version of Geronimo is expected in the next year.
The idea for Geronimo dates back to July, when developers who had splintered off from the JBoss Group, the company that maintains
the JBoss server, approached the ASF board and asked if the non-profit foundation would sponsor development of a new application
server.
The JBoss Group refugees, who had formed a company of their own called The Core Developer Network, had first intended to incorporate
Geronimo into JBoss, via a project called Elba. But when The JBoss Group cut off their access to the JBoss source code last
weekend in the wake of the splintering action, they decided to take the JBoss code base and maintain their own version. "The
original intent was for Elba to act as a bridge, but when everyone who was working on this had their access thrown out, Elba,
at that point became a fork," said Core Developer Partner Jeremy Boynes.
Elba eventually will be replaced by Geronimo, once the Apache project becomes mature, Boynes said.
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