On May 19th, the BEA announced that it plans to create a open source project called Beehive (hive), the project is based on the WebLogic Workshop application framework and "planning to become the world's first easy-to-use, used to build a service-oriented architecture (SOA The foundation foundation of the company Java application. "On May 25, BEA then announced with the Apache Software Foundation, Beehive became part of the Apache community. In order to let more WebLogic developers understand the meaning of Beehive, Cliff Schmidt - BEA's WebLogic Workshop Standard's product manager has accepted the reporter's interview.
Q: First, what is the exact meaning of the "standard strategy product manager", how do it contact Beehive open source project?
Schmidt: BEA has some people closely around the company's standard strategy, including standards developed in organizations such as Oasis, World Wide Web Alliance (W3C), and Java Community Process (JCP). Most members of this team work in the CTO office, but I am engaged in one of a member of a specific product group WebLogic Workshop. The standard strategy focuses on determining the best point of technical collaboration. This collaboration is in a group of industrial suppliers, customers, competitors and partners to encourage innovation, while providing cross-vendors' compatibility Sex. Our work mainly includes determining the existing standards that WebLogic Workshop should participate, and more important is what Workshop innovations should better adapt to our customers when they use the basic use of new industrial standards. There are a variety of ways to develop industrial standards - through regular standard organization, through the collaboration between competitors, and through open source communities. The open source community is usually aggravated more quickly than a standard organization. In order to achieve the industry's consistency in the innovation of the current WebLogic Workshop application framework, we launched the Apache Beehive project, because we believe that this will better serve our customers, actually the entire enterprise Java community.
Q: What is apache beehive? How is it associated with WebLogic Workshop?
Schmidt: Beehive is an open source software project that provides the first cross container, easy to use programming model and application framework based on J2EE and SOA applications. It is based on a Workshop application framework; does not include an integrated development environment (IDE). Beehive has three main components: controls, NetUi (previously known as Java page flow), and Java Web services. Each component is explained in detail in the corresponding side bar.
Q: What does Beehive mean for WebLogic Workshop users?
Schmidt: The next version of WebLogic Workshop is based on the Beehive framework. This will allow WebLogic-based implementation and any other portability between the BEEHIVE framework (such as Tomcat). But Beehive also provides a portable option to the current version of WebLogic Workshop 8.1 users. Just as using Workshop 8.1 written code, users will be able to transplant their code to the next major version of the WebLogic platform, users can transplant today's code to the Beehive platform. This means that even today, BEA customers can benefit from the open source, cross-platform Beehive frameworks.
Q: Recently we have seen many of the words "investment protection", what is the exact meaning when you mention investment protection? Schmidt: When the customer costs development time, I will mention the investment made by customers. If the customer is not locked to a single vendor, the investment in developing applications and related technologies is protected. This idea is that we hope that our customers will continue to buy a WebLogic platform because it is the best solution to solve their problems, not because they have been deceived.
Q: There are already some comparisons between the BeeHive framework components and other technologies, such as NetUI For Struts, Java Web Services For JSR-181, and controls for EJB 3.0. Can you make comments about these comparisons?
Schmidt: NetUi is actually above Struts. Not an inventive model - View-Control (MVC) framework, NETUI uses the Struts framework, but enhances the Struts configuration file into a single "page stream" file, then increase additional features, such as state management and exceptions deal with. Beehive's Java Web service component is actually an implementation of the JSR-181 specification. In fact, we are expecting that it can be used as a reference implementation (RI) with Tomcat is a Java Servlet and Java Server Page (JSP) specification, will become a reference implementation. Like Tomcat, it does not limit the further development along the route; however, for now, its goal is to build a Java specification request (JSR) implementation. Finally, EJB 3.0 provides capacity to EJB by using JSR-175-based annotations, while the Beehive framework also uses JSR-175 annotations. However, the control is designed to provide a simple and consistent customer access model that spans any number of heterogeneous backend resources and combines a lightweight component model to handle, such as event notifications, lifecycle management, and Configuration and other things. The control can help you call EJB, but the control is definitely not EJB.
Q: Is Netui competition with Java Server Faces (JSF)?
Schmidt: is not! JSF is only another built-in view technology that can be used in the NetUI MVC architecture. For example, a JSF page can trigger page flow activity by integrating into a JSF NavigationHandler layer. Moreover, I am proud to announce that Craig McClanahan, as the founder of the JSF specification, the founder of the Struts project, he has been generously voluntarily becoming the guides of Apache's sponsor and Beehive project. He implied that we are receiving Struts and JSF seriously.
Q: In Beehive, which controls are open from the source code? Today, don't you have multiple types of controls in Workshop?
Schmidt: Initially, open is a complete control frame source code. This allows developers to create a particular domain control to support their selected resources. We are planning to help create several particularly commonly used controls, such as database controls. However, its goal is to let the community build more controls instead of providing a framework to provide a formal collection.
Q: Is this related to the declaration of the Workshop Control Pack during EWORLD?
Schmidt: No. Control Pack is a package that is packaged, free of use and open source, which makes access to companies provided by companies such as Amazon, eBay, Federal Express, Google, PayPal, and UPS. These controls were initially for existing control frames, which is part of Workshop 8.1. However, I think as long as Beehive releases a relatively stable construction, or many controls in Control Pack will be ported to Beehive earlier. Q: You mention JSR-175 in front, how is it associated with Beehive, can you tell us more information?
Schmidt: As a JSR of the metadata annotation as a Java source code, JSR-175 provides a method to allow standardized declarative programming languages, just as used in Beehive. The JSR was first proposed in the first half of 2002, just before the BEA launched JSR-181, and JSR-181 requires a standardized metadata format used in the Web service area. Metadata annotation is used to simplify the potential of enterprise Java programming through Workshop's initial release in 2002, and cause interest in tools such as XDoclets. The standardized statement-enabled models enabled by JSR-175 is a general critical topic for all Beehive components. Although this new standard is close to us, the BEA has three years of work experience for metadata-driven programming models. Beehive is an attempt to share this experience with a broader community.
Q: Why is the BEEHIVE framework on Tomcat? Can it run on any other platform?
Schmidt: Beehive is specified on Tomcat, mainly because it is a reference implementation of the Java Servlet engine, and is the most popular servlet container implementation. This means that any J2EE application server will also be able to run the Beehive Framework in its compatible servlet container. The BEA WebLogic server may also support the running Beehive application within the EJB layer, and I expect an open source development process will result in other EJB containers.
Q: Can Tomcat developers build Beehive applications using Workshop IDE?
Schmidt: Yes. The next version of WebLogic Workshop will be an excellent tool for developing the Beehive Frame code, whether it is deployed to WebLogic Server, Tomcat, or any other compatible Servlet container.
Q: Is Beehive for Eclipse a competitive actions?
Schmidt: It is absolutely not. Eclipse Foundation, INSTAN-TIATIONS and BEA jointly released the Apache Beehive plans to integrated Eclipse project -eclipse pollinate. Eclipse provides development environments, Apache Beehive provides basic application frameworks and runtime services to help experience developers have more completely designed better applications while helping developers who have just started using Java to increase productivity faster. In addition, both companies Soaring Eagle and Genuitec also announced in the Eclipse Pollinate program and provides a coding basis.
Q: Does the Beehive project show that the BEA has changed its view for JCP?
Schmidt: BEA is still committed to participating in JCP. However, we realize that cooperation with open source communities is another standardized approach. It allows us to participate in a high level of user group to verify that we have a better way to solve problems and work together with the community in a domain that can be enhanced. Get the idea, contributions, and feedback from the community to improve our platform to meet the impact of our customers, is unable to valuable. In some cases, an open source project may eventually lead a JSR when it has acquired more than one JSR usually has a larger industry recognition. JSR-166, J2SE correspondence, essentially an open source collection, which is built by Doug LEA and others. JSR-241, Groovy Dynamic programming language is another example of a downstream specification by achieving ideological leadership. Of course, in some cases, an open source project may become a fact that it is the best example of this situation without a JSR - Struts. The key is that the BEA believes that open source is another way to obtain industry agreement, developers adopt and ultimately protect our customers' investment. BEA will continue to participate in JCP and various open source communities to help promote our innovation into industry standards. Q: Why is the BEA submits Beehive to Apache?
Schmidt: In the process of improving Workshop running on a standard servlet container, we find that the number of Apache products has gradually increased, such as Tomcat, Struts, Axis, Velocity, Ant, and XMLBeans. Although the opportunity to configure related products for Beehive is one of the factors, but for us, more important is the status of the Apache community. Apache Software Foundation (ASF) has attracted a large number of talents and professional personnel. We not only expect members of the Apache community to help us contribute some important ideas and even expect them to write code for the project. We also know that ASF and BEA have encouraged a self-developed community to collaborate with other organizations, and create an appropriate legitimate framework to support reliable open source development, many of the same benefits. When we worked with the Apache community in the XMLBeans project last year, we have observed all of the above mentioned.
Q: What do you know clearly when you are engaged in an Apache Xmlbeans project?
Schmidt: Because XMlbeans is the first open source project project in Apache, we have learned a lot. Of course, we have learned many of the good problems related to some of our products in the open source community, but we have learned a lot of work that needs to be done around a project to build users and developers communities. It does need a lot of attention. You can't just have the right attitude and an open mind, which will expect the ideal collaborative scenario to be miraculous. You must have an additional effort such that it is easier to understand the architecture and find useful contributions to developers who are unfamiliar with the project. For the XMLBeans project, we have made more work in this regard, and for Beehive, we will pay attention to this aspect from the beginning.
Q: What is the relationship between Beehive and XMLBeans?
Schmidt: The way to use controls, Java Web services, and page stream seamless integration XMLBeans, will provide similar integration. However, XMLBeans may continue to reside in the XML project alliance in Apache, without being included in Beehive.
Q: What does it mean for BEA, what is an Apache open source code?
Schmidt: BEA will never claim "with" or "own" an Apache open source project. The BEA is a license to the ASF initial Beehive code. But more importantly, BEA has promised that approximately more than 10 engineers cooperate with Apache to develop the Beehive project library, and build a self-developed user and development. Community. Engineers designed and developing Workshop frameworks are being committed to the success of Apache Beehive. As a submitter, they are part of the team, responsible for developing, testing, and documentation Beehive projects. BEA is also actively participating in the BEEHIVE Project Management Committee to give a total direction, priority, and release plan. This complete process begins in the Apache incubator. Q: What is the Apache incubator?
Schmidt: Apache incubator provides an inlet path for all new Apache items, such as Beehive. The incubator is a supportful environment, which enhances their work in this environment and becomes an Apache project, and they set relevant Apache infrastructure, and ensure that there is no legality in the initial code library, such as Apache The incompatibility of a license. However, another equally important purpose of the incubator is to encourage new projects to build their own communities, while working with other Apache projects (and learning to other projects). This is indeed a field of ASF's work last year, which helps start a new project and protect the legal and social integrity of ASF.
Q: What is the way to participate in the BEEHIVE project?
Schmidt: There are a variety of ways to start using the product and provide feedback, error reporting, and answering other users. As another step, you can provide a fixed-to-error patch or provide additional features; and if you are not interested in writing code, there is always a huge demand for documents, instance code, and guides. With the control framework, you can develop a custom control and then use it to others in the community. Finally, after a series of contributions to the project, you can be nominated as one of the items.
Q: What is the reaction of Beehive?
Schmidt: It is much more powerful than I think - Of course I am a very optimistic person. Although I am very happy to see the news and analyst comments, I am really exciting is the reaction from the BEA customer and the Apache community. These two groups have been incredibly active. At our nearest eWorld meeting, we can't tell you how many customers say that Beehive has a huge difference that makes them very easy to demonstrate to build applications on Workshop. Many people tell me that they have carefully considered to use Workshop, but if it is based on a private runtime environment, they will not be invested. Now Beehive is open and can be used in a variety of platforms, which is completely disappeared for locking concerns. From the Apache community, I also got the same positive response.
Q: What is the advantage of open source code for WebLogic customers?
Schmidt: I will talk about some of the advantages. First, the most obvious advantage is that WebLogic customers can no longer sacrifice the product for productivity. WebLogic Workshop 8.1 has won numerous industry awards, including PC Magazine Market Best Development Tool Awards. Now, customers continue to benefit from Workshop to their productivity, without considering that they may need pain to other environments a certain day, and cost is expensive. Second, community members using Beehive / Workshop is significantly increased; this is a good thing for users of the framework, because this means sharing problems, skills, experience, and best practices with more people. Finally, WebLogic customers will get the best things in these two worlds. The Beehive Framework will evolve according to the best thoughts already provided by BEA and Apache, and the entire WebLogic product line will provide the best way to use the Beehive framework (because the BEA is built on the framework for three years). Q: Is the BEA support and guarantees Beehive?
Schmidt: BEA provides customer support for all our products; the components including open source code are no exception. An example of this situation is a way to support the business end users of the BEA for Workshop's NetUI / Java page, even if it is located on Struts. We support complete products, including the basis of the product. BEA will compensate customers' losing for violations of third-party copyright statements, which is critical to many companies believe that any software depends on their business is critical. However, I am not a lawyer, and if you are interested in the details provided by BEA, you can check our license terms.
Q: The last problem: Why is it named Beehive?
Schmidt: I am not presenting this name, but I believe in inspiration is a robust frame from a large community, which works together in a consistent structure.
Q: What do you want to say for our readers?
Schmidt: No matter what you want to peek, try our work, or actively participate in the project, please visit the Apache Beehive Web site http://wiki.apache.org/incubator/beehiveproposal. Here you can get the latest project information, subscribe to development, or user mailing lists, or even the latest source code.
