OpenLogic expands its open-source library

OpenLogic announced Friday it has expanded its library of open-source software packages as part of its OpenLogic Enterprise 4.6 platform, adding key AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) technologies.

Enterprise features the OpenLogic Certified Library, which is a repository of open-source packages that are supported by OpenLogic, the company said. 

With release 4.6 of the platform, the number of open-source packages supported increases to 300 packages, from 270 packages previously. Additions include the AJAX projects: Dojo, Google Web Toolkit, and Icefaces. Among the other projects added are MySQL 5.0.37 and Apache HTTP Server 2.2.2.

"[Software packages in Enterprise] are provided as a library to enterprises that want to use certified open source from a trusted source, and we provide support, indemnification, and updates," to everything in the library, said Kim Weins, senior vice president of marketing and products at OpenLogic.

"As open source is spread, companies see the value of using open source, but they need a way to manage it and reduce the risk," she said.

AJAX technologies are being added because of enterprise interest in them, she said.

With the new release, OpenLogic also streamlined the installation experience so that users can be up and running in less than 30 minutes. Users also can pick and choose which open-source packages they want to install instead of having to install the entire library.

OpenLogic sells subscriptions to Enterprise as well as technical support.

With its Enterprise 4.6 product, OpenLogic is making the right choices in what to add, said analyst Jay Lyman of The 451 Group. But the company faces the challenge of reaching more enterprises, he said.

"To me, their challenge is to transform from a high number of customers who are developers and transition to customers that are larger enterprises who are open source users," Lyman said.

The company, Lyman said, also faces growing competition from such companies as dbaDirect, which provides data management infrastructure services. But OpenLogic still offers a larger breadth of open-source offerings, he said.

The company will make its OpenLogic Discovery tool, a free, downloadable product that scans a user's systems to see what open source software has been installed, available next week. "The first thing companies want to do is gain an inventory of what open source has been installed in their organization," Weins said.

OpenLogic also plans to offer free inventory analysis for as many as 500 machines at user site and provide a report on what is on the systems. This will be a hosted service.