CMS Watch JBoss Feed

JBoss DNA: using JCR to make metadata behave

kthomas@cmswatch.com(Kas Thomas) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:04:00 -0400

The JBoss folks have launched an ambitious new open-source project that is so breathtaking in scope, it defies easy categorization, even though (ironically) it is largely about categorization.

JBoss DNA is (according to the project website) "a repository and set of tools that make it easy to capture, version, analyze, and understand the fundamental building blocks of information." Notably, the key enabling technology for the project is the Java Content Repository specification (JSR-283).

The project description goes on to say: "As models, service and process definitions, schemas, source code, and other artifacts are added to the repository, JBoss DNA 'sequences' the makeup of these components and extracts their structure and interdependencies. Users can then search, analyze, visualize, report, and modify the repository's content using the terminology and structures they are familiar with. Such domain-specific solutions can be created with little or no programming. Sharing this information is possible through Eclipse plugins, web applications, and REST servers."

If you're still not getting it, there is a useful slide show on the JBoss Labs site. The system is transactional, event-driven, and rules-based, and (of course) it leverages a long list of well-known open-source building blocks and industry standards. Basically, what it does (if I understand it right) is allow you to discover and manage dependencies and semantic relationships between bits of info that most of us would otherwise call metadata.

A core primitive in the JBoss DNA system is the Sequencer, which is essentially a custom event handler that fires when you insert a content item into the repository. It executes rules (which you write in a domain-specific rules language) against the item in question, to extract atomic bits of information about it. In other words, a sequencer does autoextraction of metadata. (Why don't they just say that? Why the cutesy bioengineering lingo?) According to the project's leaders, sequencers are planned for .zip archives, Java bytecode, WSDL, UML, and database DDLs, among other targets.

Autoextraction of metadata is a noble goal, of course. In fact it is becoming a key capability in many corners of the content-management world (DAM in particular). But there are problems with the JBoss DNA vision, not least of which is the fact that metadata extraction is notoriously tricky business (and inferring taxonomic relationships gets even trickier). Visualization of this kind of information is also challenging (ask any Edward Tufte fan), a subject on which JBoss DNA is silent.

But the greater issue with the JBoss DNA project is that the problem space, as envisioned by the project's creators, is hopelessly broad (King Kong could not get his arms around it) and the DNA reference architecture is bewilderingly baroque, encompassing federation of repositories, a Publishing Server that implements the Atom Publishing Protocol, WebDAV support, pluggable analytics, connectors of all kinds, and scads more. The number of moving parts is large and the footprint will doubtless be massive. The factoring is distinctly J2EE circa 2005, in the most obnoxious sense. If there is one thing IT departments don't need at this point, it's yet another kitchen-sink Java EE architecture to deal with.

Earlier, I referred to JBoss DNA as ambitious. Perhaps audacious is a better word. To be sure, many sublime achievements in this world began as audacious dreams. But it is true, also, that audacious endeavors sometimes (maybe most of the time) end up as giant, smoke-filled craters; and JBoss DNA, for all its noble goals, already seems in danger of following that trajectory.

JBoss Portal gets a bit more decoupled (soon)

info@jboye.dk(Janus Boye) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:54:00 -0400

In news from last month's JBoss World conference, JBoss Portal will as of Version 2.7, due out in Q3 2008, use a new portlet container that supports the Portlet 2.0 specification (JSR 286). Also the portal platform no longer requires JBoss Application Server (AS).

Support for more application platforms is particularly significant as this enables customers to leverage their existing platform investments, rather than forcing them to also adopt the JBoss AS. Support for more application servers has been on the roadmap for JBoss Portal since January 2007, when BEA WebLogic Server was mentioned and expected due out in Q3 2007. Note, however, that with this news, still only Tomcat will be supported as an alternative to JBoss AS.

Other open source enterprise portals, e.g. Liferay, already support 14 different application platforms, including BEA, IBM, and Oracle. On the commercial side, interestingly most major portal vendors only support their very own platform, e.g., IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP.

When a portal software supplier only supports its own application server platform, it certainly seems to contradict the idea of loosely coupled software. As a buyer you need to understand that in 2008, selecting an enterprise portal platform might lock you into a specific application server.

Enterprise Portal Marketplace: 2008 Vendor Risk Profile

jb@boyeit.dk(Janus Boye) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:01:00 -0500

It is all too easy to identify vendors for your shortlist based on their supposed "leadership" status in the market. But CMS Watch contributing analyst Janus Boye argues that CIOs, procurement officers, and other technology leaders considering investments in enterprise portals should carefully examine the risk profile of prospective vendors to help identify the right "fit" for their needs.

New JBoss Portal 2.6 integrates with....Google Gadgets

info@jboye.dk(Janus Boye) — Wed, 4 Jul 2007 13:28:00 -0400

Earlier this week open source vendor Red Hat finally released the new version 2.6 of JBoss Portal. I've previously commented on the usability improvements and the developer release. What's new since the last dot-release is a much hyped integration with Google Gadgets, similar to recent moves by software giant IBM. As readers of the updated review in the Enterprise Portals Report know, the new JBoss Portal release still lacks several key features -- such as search, collaboration, and integration -- that can be found in other competing offerings, including other open source platforms. If you're located outside the USA, you should also note that the product is internationalized, but not localized. Finally: If you're interested in SOA, you'll find that the product runs exclusively on the JBoss Application Server.

Marketplace Realities: A European Perspective

jb@boyeit.dk(Janus Boye) — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 17:06:00 -0500

Janus Boye examines the content technology landscape from the perspective of a European customer, and finds much of concern (beta software, inexperience, confusing terminology), but much to laud (better accessibility, widespread choice) as well...

JBoss Portal 2.6 available to developers

info@jboye.dk(Janus Boye) — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 12:45:00 -0500

Earlier this week JBoss announced an early snapshot release of JBoss Portal 2.6, targeted to developers. As previously mentioned there will be quite a few user interface enhancements to the upcoming version including personal dashboards, drag-n-drop windows, and a reworked portlet UI. JBoss seems on target for a Q1 2007 release, and with such significant changes it is sensible to run a long beta. Missing from the available documentation is anything on how to upgrade. In a related and provocative posting, Chris Shipley, maker of the annual DEMO conference, asked "Is Beta the new Vapor?" This seems relevant to ask at a time when beta releases are increasingly being adopted by buyers. Remember: A beta release is not the same quality as a final release.

A new standard for portlet repositories

info@jboye.dk(Janus Boye) — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 08:49:00 -0400

The enterprise portal teams at JBoss and Sun have jointly announced the start of a new protocol for communicating with portlet repositories. According to the JBoss blog posting, "the idea for a standard repository protocol came after discussions with Sun over the interoperability of disparate portlet repositories with many portal vendors (as you know, they also have a portlet repository), and how we could offer a standard medium of communication between all players involved." As readers of the Enterprise Portals Report know, most vendors have their very own repositories to store portlets. These can be quite a mixed bag. The Portlet Repository Protocol standard intends to simplify the often underestimated and very time-consuming task of portal administration. If successful, the standard should enable administrators to make use of portlets from a myriad of different repositories from within one portal.

Usability enhancements in JBoss Portal 2.6

info@jboye.dk(Janus Boye) — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 03:38:00 -0400

Based on a recent thread on the JBoss blog, it seems there will be quite a few user interface enhancements to the upcoming version 2.6 of JBoss Portal. They've used a wiki as well as a forum to have an open discussion in the community about the changes. The wiki page contains nice screenshots of the suggested enhancements. They are nice little improvements, but unfortunately the universal dashboard interface seems to remain. Usability is important, but as readers of the Enterprise Portals Report know, JBoss Portal is quite a young and thin product, lacking in native search, collaboration and personalization. This could mean costly upgrades down the road. The recent acquisition by RedHat would only seem to make this more likely.

Portal Kudos and Shortcomings -- Summer, 2006

jb@boyeit.dk(Janus Boye) — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 15:24:00 -0400

Segmenting the portal software marketplace by putting products into boxes on charts is a popular exercise among pundits. But CMS Watch contributing analyst Janus Boye argues that for buyers, a meaningful vendor breakdown must describe how well the various offerings fit actual requirements across specific business scenarios. See how Janus compares the major portal products in the marketplace today...

RedHat acquires JBoss

info@jboye.dk(Janus Boye) — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:01:00 -0400

Ending months of speculation, Linux distributor RedHat will acquire the open source Java company JBoss. As Enterprise Portal Report readers know, JBoss Portal runs on almost any operating system, but only with the JBoss application server. With JBoss Portal potentially bundled with Red Hat in the future, many customers will ask if JBoss will suffice for their portal use-cases, instead of an additional investment in another product such as IBM WebSphere Portal. However, our research found JBoss Portal coming up a bit short in functionality. As a side note: JBoss executive Mark Fleury had previously ridiculed Red Hat in an intemperate blog entry, but apparently this was nicely cleaned up before the acquisition.

JBoss announces Portal 2.2

info@jboye.dk(Janus Boye) — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 18:29:00 -0500

The version-number indicates a point-release, but the recent release of open-source JBoss Portal includes significant new functionality, such as nested navigation, interportlet communication, search engine friendly URLs, failover, and clustering. The growing JBoss community should not underestimate this upgrade.