Spotlight dimmed on J2EE launch
Industry supports J2EE despite concern over ECMA renege
At the same time that Sun launched its Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) at the Java Business Expo earlier this month, Patricia Sueltz, president of Sun’s software and products division, announced that she had “decided not to submit Java to ECMA [the European Computer Manufacturer’s Association].” Her decision to abort the plan to standardize the Java platform diverted audience attention and became its main focus at the launch. However, Sun maintains that it is focused on the community and on creating a Java standard; the company sees the release of J2EE, a specification for developing multitier applications for the enterprise, as part of that focus. Sun even boasted an early release of the specification, which wasn’t scheduled to ship until December 17.
Industry support
The new platform is an evolved version of the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition, extending its cross-platform features into the enterprise-class arena. To support the J2EE platform, Sun offers the specification, the reference implementation, a compatibility test suite (with more than 6,000 tests in the suite), and the programming model, all to ensure that commercial offerings conform to established guidelines. Sun hopes J2EE licensees will refer to these four models to expedite development of J2EE solutions. Currently, 54 companies, including BEA/Weblogic, Novell, and SilverStream, have jumped on the bandwagon to support the specification. Bill Roth, product manager for the new specification, emphasizes that Sun’s goal in this effort is to ensure compatibility and keep its write once, run anywhere (WORA) promise, while at the same time accelerating the growth of a competitive, compatible market for J2EE components and applications.
Features
J2EE features include Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) technology, JavaServer Pages and servlets, Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) 2.0, Java Messaging Service, and JavaMail. According to Sueltz, Enterprise JavaBeans are at the core of the specification in order to ensure the promised compatibility. J2EE uses the same security model as the Standard Edition, and the Java HotSpot Performance engine is integrated into it. (For a comprehensive list of features, see the
section below.)
Roth says that XML plays a significant part of the platform. The reference implementation includes deployment information in XML; also included is an XML parser. Sueltz adds, “Sun has had a long history of XML support. XML and Java are a perfect combination. Java is portable business logic; XML is portable business data.”
Developed by industry
J2EE was also developed in part by the industry at large, through programmers’ participation in the Java Community Process (see Resources), a process introduced by Sun through which developers can contribute to the development and revision of Java technology specifications.
The J2EE is also called the Java Compatible Enterprise Edition, and its slogan is “Simple, Scalable, Open.” Roth expects the J2EE source code to be released to the public in January; however, commercial products based on J2EE must be licensed through Sun’s Community Source Licensing, which caused some consternation for conference attendees.
“Sun is steadfast about controlling compatibility, not technology,” asserts Sueltz in response to this concern. “Java wouldn’t be where it is if it weren’t for the help from the community. We have no ulterior motives here; it’s about moving Java forward. It’s about community, communication, and collaboration on standards.”
