Risk in app server decisions rising
Summary
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On Monday, BEA released the first beta of its much-anticipated "Cajun," the code name for WebLogic Workshop, an easy development environment also nicknamed "Visual Basic for Java." The timing couldn't be more interesting. With the debut two weeks ago of Visual Basic.Net, a true object-oriented language, Microsoft may well leave millions of VB 6.0 developers scratching their heads. BEA intends to seduce these simple folk with a familiar, VB-like, procedural way to develop applications--only on top of its Java-based WebLogic application server rather than on Windows.
With the launch of Workshop, BEA at last has its own integrated development environment (IDE), yielding a complete software suite--dubbed WebLogic Platform 7.0--that also includes an app server, portal server, and integration server. This brings BEA abreast of archrival IBM, which offers a similar (though more extensive) suite. The main differences: First, BEA's Workshop caters to developers less skilled than those targeted by IBM's IDE, WebSphere Studio Application Developer. Second, with Workshop, BEA is focusing on creating an open framework for Web services development--not an open development framework for J2EE like IBM's Eclipse initiative, which expressly encourages third-party, pluggable development tools.
BEA's WebLogic Platform provides the strongest signal yet the application server vendors have become purveyors of integrated software suites. By definition, WebLogic applications that call on BEA's portal or integration server can't run on other J2EE application servers without a rewrite. Moreover, BEA seems only tangentially interested in encouraging third-party participation on anything but the Web services level. Shannon Lynd, director of product marketing for Versata, a provider of Java-based business logic solutions, sees a marked contrast between the BEA and IBM approach. "Before IBM launched Eclipse, it went to its partners first and got them to adopt it," she says. "BEA hasn't done that. As a technology partner, that worries me."
Which partners find a comfortable home on the new BEA platform remains to be seen. But WebLogic Workshop and Platform serve to remind us that it's more important than ever to choose your application server vendor with care. As platform-specific environments become enriched with proprietary features and companies grow more dependent on these features, the cost of switching (if the choice proves to be unsatisfactory) rises substantially.
The more you call on the functionality of integrated suites, the more locked in you get. What are your criteria for choosing an application development partner for the long term? E-mail Eric or Talk Back below.
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