Open Source JBoss Wooing BEA Customers

Open source group JBoss Tuesday
released a free port it says will have BEA Systems
customers asking, “what if the best app-server were free?”

The Atlanta-based JBoss, which makes a J2EE-friendly
application server, said the latest enhancements to its JBoss 3.0 product
result in equal or better performance, security and developer productivity
to comparable WebLogic products without inherent licensing constraints and
financial costs.

JBoss 3.0 is a no-cost fully J2EE 1.3-based server that includes
JBoss/Server, the basic EJB container and JMX infrastructure; JBossMQ for
JMS messaging; JBossMX for mail; JBossTX for JTA/JTS transactions; JBossSX
for JAAS based security; JBossCX for JCA connectivity; and JBossCMP for CMP
persistence.

The new JBoss self-serve port includes the porting tool and documentation
free of charge. A fee-based full-serve port features consultation from
expert JBoss developers, who are available either on-site or working
remotely. Both ports will be available next week

“JBoss is a mature, proven application server running or embedded in
thousands of business-critical applications,” said Marc Fleury, founder of
JBoss.org and president of JBoss Group. “JBoss is rapidly emerging as a
standard development technology due to its ease of use and modular design.
Enterprises porting applications to JBoss will find quality technology and
services that exceed the offerings from commercial software vendors, without
being encumbered by licensing restrictions until the end of time.”

JBoss says BEA, on the other hand, has to charge customers for its
WebLogic Enterprise Platform, comprised of BEA WebLogic Server, BEA WebLogic
Portal, BEA WebLogic Integration and BEA Liquid Data. The company has been
trying for the last few years to begin a push into the integration market to
combat IBM’s WebSphere product line. The two have been
trading barbs on a regular basis ever since the release of WebLogic 7.0 and
WebSphere 5.0.

Yet on the sidelines, it’s JBoss that has been gaining market share. With
more than two million downloads in 2002 alone, JBoss said it is rapidly
becoming the application server of choice. According to some industry
publications JBoss has the most widely used application server, even above
IBM or BEA.

The move away from large name app server products like WebLogic is
becoming more the norm, with companies like Fairfax, Va.-based webMethods jumping
on
the JBoss ship.

Forrester Research says it’s just another sign that open source will
erode licensing fees for application servers in 2003. The firm expects
cost-conscious software vendors to ditch expensive licensing deals with
companies like BEA to gain access to source code and to save money.

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