'Geronimo', Apache’s open source J2EE server

BANGALORE: Jeremy Boynes, of the Core Developers Network, informed that the Geronimo application server is about to go into J2EE certification testing and should be certified and ready to go in several months. Said an online report.

Apache launched the Geronimo Project last year, and the group became an official J2EE licensee in November. Beta version of the product will be available later this month.

JBoss, an open-source J2EE application server is very popular with developers for use in commercial deployments, some think a fully compliant product from Apache could inspire even more support for using an open-source application server in enterprise-scale applications. The advantage that Apache has over JBoss Inc. is that it is a completely nonprofit group. Moreover, Apache is considered as a responsible organisation, as they have managed to have Oracle, Sun and IBM embed their products.

Though, the use of open-source software above the operating system layer is on the rise, a fact, that has forced commercial J2EE application server vendors such as BEA Systems and IBM to diversify their core app server businesses. However, some feel that commercial application servers will never be completely obsolete because customers want the safety net of vendor support for enterprise software infrastructure, said the report.

Shawn Willet, principal analyst Current Analysis, is of the opinion that the launch of Geronimo will, to a certain extent, add to the pricing pressure, like JBoss did. And, the product can be very successful if it can get support from a big vendor such as IBM, he added.