BRAND DEMAND J2EETM Technology Passes the Test

by Jon Byous

January 21, 2000 -- It might have been easy to predict the quick acceptance of a new Java^TM platform framework built exclusively for the enterprise. But nobody expected the kind of immediate brand loyalty that the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE^TM) has garnered among its customers.

As downloads of J2EE technology continue to mount, customers and licensees are finding that J2EE technology lives up to its promise as the new de facto platform for enterprise solutions.

From the beginning, J2EE technology was conceived as a framework for simplifying complex problems associated with the development, deployment, and management of multi-tier enterprise solutions by leveraging the Java 2 platform. In fact, the foundation of J2EE technology is the core Java platform, or Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE^TM).

To the J2SE framework, the Enterprise Edition adds an assembly of the core enterprise Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), all of which are standardized, modular components.

J2EE technology also provides a complete set of enterprise services to those components, and by automating many of the time-consuming and difficult tasks of application development, it gives users a platform for creating broadly compatible enterprise solutions without having to engage in complex programming.

This advantage significantly cuts the time, expense, and gamble of getting to market with world-class, enterprise-strength applications.

And that's one of the core benefits licensees and customers are realizing by using J2EE technology. In this article, several J2EE customers discuss how they are using the technology and what their experiences have been.

Bluestone: Serving Up Applications with Confidence

An active J2EE technology customer is Bluestone Software, whose business is critically dependent on the Java platform.

"Bluestone's reputation is based on the extreme performance, scalability, and fault-tolerance of our systems and solutions," explained Bob Bickel, senior vice president of products at Bluestone Software. "We're basing our e-business strategy on J2EE technology to maintain that reputation."

Bluestone's own customers appreciate the value they're getting. "Beyond its technical merits, J2EE technology is emerging as a brand that our customers are requesting," says Bickel. "They want the productivity advantages of working with JavaServer^TM Pages (JSP) and other J2EE standards. At the same time, they want an open, standards-based solution that eliminates technology lock-in."

But Bluestone isn't stopping there. "To set Bluestone apart from other J2EE technology-based providers, we're taking our solutions to the next level with a secure, distributed JSP/Servlet engine that runs in the application server and not in the Web server," says Bickel. "We're also making extensive use of XML as an object interface between JSPs and JavaBeans^TM and EJB [Enterprise JavaBeans software] to make that interface simple and easily understood. Additionally, our Bluestone XML Suite Integration Server is the platform for corporate integration and business-to-business facilities. Meanwhile, our Total-e-Business solution integrates content management, personalization, and e-commerce components -- all built on the J2EE framework."

Crossroads: Customers Drive the Demand for J2EE Technology

Crossroads Technologies builds network-centric applications for some of the largest financial institutions on Wall Street, including Lehman Brothers, Daiwa Securities, and Bear Stearns, as well as other giants like AT&T.

Crossroads CEO Frank Greco says they were using the Java platform from its earliest inception. He says the release of Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition has spawned a flood of demand from his client base.

"When J2EE was launched, we got inundated with requests for new enterprise application development based on J2EE technology, specifically Enterprise JavaBeans," says Greco. "With Y2K over and done with, our clients are telling us it's time to get going [with J2EE development]. In the first two weeks of this year, we had six major clients ask us to develop Web applications based on EJB technology."

Greco says that the Java platform is the premier foundation for building a e-commerce applications because of its functionality, stability, and scalability. "Our clients are quite concerned about scalability. They want to be sure it doesn't crash; they can't afford downtime," says Greco.

He continues: "The Java platform is the platform to use, no question. No one even debates that anymore. It's not an issue."

Greco adds, "And J2EE technology provides a comprehensive platform that serves as the foundation for the development that Crossroads Technologies does for its Fortune 500 clients. Along with the Java 2D^TM and Swing APIs, J2EE technology allows our developers to build innovative and reliable applications quickly."

Click to enlarge

One project, a trading application, requires a lot of real-time information be coordinated at the server. Crossroads used an architecture that utilizes servlets and EJB software to manage the transactions.

"As with most Web projects, the client had underestimated the user demand in such an application," says Greco. "Scalability is growth without additional complexity. That's what our customers demand. Since we were using EJB technology, scalability is not a problem and is very straightforward. Had we not used EJB technology, architecting such an application to scale up so well would have been a good deal of work. EJB technology just makes our job that much easier," says Greco.

Persistence Pays Off

Randy Hietter, vice president of product management at Persistence, gets right to the point: "We're pleased to be a J2EE technology licensee. In retrospect, Sun has really seized on the opportunity to provide solutions for the enterprise in today's Internet environment.

"First, the Java platform satisfied the need for a distributed systems architecture based on an object-oriented framework. Then Sun extended it with things like JavaServer Pages, the Servlet spec, Enterprise JavaBeans, container-managed persistence, and now business-based XML elements."

Summing it up, Hietter says: "So Sun now has a complete, integrated, coherent model -- J2EE technology -- for enterprises faced with building next-generation systems. It's the right answer at the right time."

Persistence saw this evolution early on and has been a long-term supporter of the Enterprise JavaBeans specification development, launching one of the first EJB technology-based application servers on the market. As a result, they have been quite successful in gaining mission-critical enterprise customer deployments.

For example, two of Sun's customer success stories, Instinet's fixed-income bond trading system and Intershop Communications' enfinity, a premier e-commerce solution for the enterprise, are based on the Persistence PowerTier for EJB Application Server.

"Now Persistence is ready to extend that success with support for J2EE technology," says Hietter. "PowerTier 5.5 beta currently supports EJB, container-managed persistence, EntityBeans, JMF, JTA, JTF, JNDI, servlets, and JSPs," says Hietter. (Persistence is targeting mid-year for J2EE compatibility testing on PowerTier for J2EE.)

"It's perfectly clear to us. J2EE technology provides the integration and wrapper that takes all these disparate technologies and puts them into an integrated whole that makes sense to a CIO or systems architect. That's what we see in J2EE technology. And nothing competes with it.

"I think licensees that deliver solutions built on J2EE technology in 2000 will be extremely well-positioned to be at the foundation of the next generation of enterprise application development. With Y2K behind us, CIOs and architects are looking at J2EE technology-based solutions for a portfolio of applications to accommodate the Web. And they're looking at vendors who have committed early to this emerging brand. It's a standard with staying power."

Adds Hietter: "Customers who purchase a J2EE-compatible solution know they're getting a product that has an established brand with a level of stability and robustness, as well as a precisely defined set of feature capabilities, for example, support for all of the 2000-plus APIs."

And, he continues, "It also gives them a degree of comfort and assurance that, should they want to swap in a different implementation of the technology, or move to another software vendor, they can do so with a minimal time and cost impact. It's basically insurance to be able to move swiftly to another solution."

Hietter sees a long path for Persistence with this strategy: "We're committed to building mission-critical enterprise applications built on J2EE technology. That's power."

Leveraging the Value of a Standard Brand

When we spoke with David Wolf, the senior product line specialist in the Internet Applications Division of Sybase, he saw the value of "predictability" as a rich harvest.

"J2EE is such a complete specification that it gives us a framework internally for building applications," said Wolf. "In the past we struggled with the frameworks to base our solutions on. For instance if our mobile division wanted to have their product interface with the application server we'd spend weeks planning the framework out. With J2EE technology as that framework, it's a no-brainer to have a mobile application talk to the application server. I just go through the framework to build that interface -- I have a protocol, I have a community standard for testing, I have compatibility tests, and I have reference implementations to compare to and base our application on. And that leaves me to add the enterprise-class features into it. It gives us a place to start -- the framework."

He uses an analogy to show J2EE technology's early progress along these lines. "I've heard it said that 'J2EE is for the application server what SQL was to the database.' I actually disagree. I think J2EE technology is a lot more. SQL is very good for databases. But it doesn't offer compatibility tests and reference implementations which lead to unpredictability in how vendors implemented it."

Do Sybase's customers perceive an advantage in Sun's J2EE technology brand? "The brand gives our customers the knowledge that they are purchasing a predictable product that is going to run in a predictable way," he says. "They know the application was built to reference standards and tested by the standards body. That helps our customers deliver on time."

Also, Wolf likes the development-pool stability. "At any point in time, I know that there are n-thousands of developers on the street who, even though they don't know my business, they know how to write J2EE technology-based applications," Wolf explains. "I can get developers in here to write applications in a timely, cheap, and predictable fashion."

And that means predictable costs, stability, and performance. "This is why we're putting such an emphasis on building vertical servers on top of our J2EE technology-branded server. For example, when a financial institution wants to build a vertical application server on top of a verticalized EJB application server, they can just hire programmers familiar with EJB technology and say, 'When x happens, I want your EJB application to do y.' It's easier to get people in house, easier to maintain, and it delivers on the component promise we've all been talking about for years."

Flexible Licensing, Protected Compatibility

The source code for J2EE technology is free, and getting it is an easy point-and-click under Sun's Community Source Licensing program. This flexible licensing and business model provides quick access to the source code for all vendors.

Sun's Community Source Licensing program allows licensees to use the Java platform's source code for training, research, and commercial product development. Licensees are not required to pay Sun for use of the source code for any development, and they're free to collaborate with other licensees as they pursue development. Only when the licensee ships a final product is a royalty charged.

Even then, the fees are correlated with the volume of actual usage. Larger companies with higher sales volume pay a higher fee, and smaller-volume companies pay smaller fees. That seems like the only fair way to charge.

This flexible model levels the playing field by making it possible for garage-shop developers to be on an equal footing with software giants in Java 2 platform application development. It creates a climate that fosters innovation.

This licensing structure gives licensees a great deal of freedom, but with this freedom comes with a critically important responsibility: compatibility that maintains the integrity of the platform.

Before licensees deliver a final binary product to end users, they have to pass the Java Compatibility Tests, which Sun currently maintains and supports. The tests ensure that nothing in the application ties it to a specific platform, thereby breaking cross-platform compatibility -- the Java platform's core value proposition.

As a new policy, a portion of Sun's royalty goes to support the Java 2 brand, including the cost of compatibility tests. Representing a small percentage of the total fee established with each client, it mirrors the same fairness guidelines established with the overall royalty. Small shops pay a small percentage-based fee.

This arrangement earmarks funds devoted to expanding the potency of the J2EE brand value and testing process, with benefits that go directly to J2EE developers and their customers.

Let us know what you think. The Community Source Licensing program is your way to participate in the Java Community Process, Sun's formalized methodology for evolving the Java platform.

Build a Better Brand and Keep Adding to It

J2EE technology has quickly developed a brand value that is recognized by Sun's customers -- and their customers as well.

As vague or elusive as the term "brand" may seem, in the case of J2EE technology, it represents real benefits and value that all can appreciate: developer availability and method commonality, application predictability and stability, open technology integration with platform independence, and equitable commercial profitability for large and small customers alike.

Sun Microsystems and the Java technology community at large remain steadfastly committed to protecting the integrity of the Java platform and evolving the brand value. Both must be maintained and protected in support of the value proposition that J2EE technology offers the enterprise: to simplify the development of multi-tier enterprise solutions and to support the "Write Once, Run Anywhere" initiative.

See Also

Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition Home Page
(http://java.sun.com/j2ee/)

Bluestone Software, Inc.
(http://www.bluestone.com)

Crossroads Technologies, Inc.
(http://www.crossroadstech.com)

Persistence Software, Inc.
(http://www.persistence.com)

Sybase, Inc.
(http://www.sybase.com)

[ This page was updated: 01-Feb-00 ]