Oracle Opens Portal Center and Tech Service Network

Business software giant Oracle Monday launched its new Portal Developer Center.

The free, online community service is designed for portal developers and partners who hand to create and exchange portal information.

Available on Oracle’s Technology Network (OTN), Oracle’s online developer community, registered users can get access to education resources designed to promote portal development and knowledge, including the latest update of the Oracle9i Application Server (Oracle9iAS) Portal Developer Kit (which the company also announced today); hosted tools via the Portal Studio; portlets from the Portal Catalog; a portal newsletter and portal discussion forums and surveys.

“We’re seeing a tremendous interest in building scaleable and secure enterprise portals, as well as a very positive response to Oracle’s unique portlet technology,” said Oracle product and service marketing senior vice president Jeremy Burton. “The Portal Developer Center provides an online resource for developers to learn about portal technology from their peers and Oracle’s experts.”

Redwood Shores, Calif.-based company also pulled the wraps off its Oracle Technology Network (OTN) Service Network.

The new online developer service powered by ePeople is a web-based program that allows Oracle developers to tap qualified experts for answers on Oracle software products.

“OTN Service Network signals a new era in how enterprise software companies can more effectively provide new services by using an extended service network,” said ePeople CEO Anthony Lye. “ePeople’s collaborative, Web-based support solution provides the infrastructure required to create a highly-qualified and accountable virtual support organization designed to support developers, customers and partners more efficiently.”

Lyle says with ePeople’s infrastructure, a developer looking for support and the OCP work together inside shared online workspaces using a series of support tools and technologies to resolve an issue. Developers can select from a variety of communication methods and support tools to meet their service needs, including real-time chat, file attachments and desktop sharing for effective issue resolution.

OTN, which boasts more than 2 million members, hosts services including online discussion forums, online support with access to more than 70,000 Oracle and industry experts, as well as free software downloads, online developer conferences and seminars, technical libraries and a job marketplace for Oracle-related positions.

The latest version of the Oracle9i Application Server Portal Developer Kit allows for the creation of custom portal services using Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) and Web Services.

Speaking of Java, Oracle says it has simplified development of enterprise applications that run on devices compliant with the latest mobile Java standard, Java2 Platform Micro Edition (J2ME). With the J2ME Add-In and Developer Kit, Oracle says Java developers can easily build and install mobile apps that take advantage of the Web services standard. Both development tools are currently available for free download

The No. 2 software maker also said it is opening a Oracle Development Center in Shenzhen High-Tech Industrial Park in Shenzhen, China in May 2002. The center is the company’s first development center in China, and the only enterprise software center in Asia and is expected to employ 100 staffers within the first six months of operation. Oracle says it plans to intensify its expansion in China by rapidly growing the China Development Center team.

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