A set of open source middleware bundles potentially challenging ISVs in areas like Enterprise Service Busses (ESBs) are being planned by the ObjectWeb Consortium.
The open source middleware group says it is talking to un-named vendors to integrate products and code produced under its auspices, into bundles.
France-based ObjectWeb oversees 21 open source middleware projects including the JOnAS Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) selected by Red Hat Inc as the basis for its own open source application server, Red Hat Application Server, announced at LinuxWorld, San Francisco, California last week.
ObjectWeb executive committee member Francois Letellier said the consortium’s projects are focused on building applications, which he called the components of middleware. In future we want to bundle suites, Letellier said.
He said ObjectWeb could provide an application server platform suite or an ESB suite, which features an XML engine, middleware messaging, and business process orchestration.
ObjectWeb is making a name for itself in open source Java and middleware, having this year announced J2EE 1.4 certification for JOnAS, work on an ESB product and the Eclipse Foundation’s Web Tools project, and expansion in membership in the US.
Current ObjectWeb members include France Telecom, Bull, Red Hat, NEC and SuSE. However the company hopes in future to also attract middleware big-names like IBM. Such a move could, theoretically, see IBM put its WebSphere application server on JOnAS, echoing IBM’s use of the Eclipse open source tools framework for the WebSphere Integrated Development Environment (IDE).
The principle of using JOnAS would be the same as using Eclipse: eliminate the need to keep re-building and re-implementing common or commoditized infrastructure elements.
Even though vendors might actually compete with JOnAS, Letellier said, the fact they can also use the application server themselves whilst also participating in its development, which saves them money and time at a later stage, should be seen as advantage.
Companies have an opportunity to get involved in the project, and make sure they get benefit from it, Letellier said. They share the development effort and re-use good technology.
