Upstart JBoss Group will on Monday debut a new release of its popular open-source application server software amid a growing dispute with Sun Microsystems over Java standard compliance.
The company will release JBoss version 4.0, which introduces new tools based on an "aspect-oriented" programming method that the company says significantly speeds up the process of building complex Java-based business applications. The company derives its revenue from providing support for the software.
JBoss software has enjoyed growing popularity with Java developers and is garnering interest with information technology executives as an alternative for commercial software based on the Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) specification.
Executives at JBoss say that its freely available software is being used by cost-conscious companies looking to move existing Java applications written using commercial J2EE products such as Sun ONE (Open Network Environment) products or BEA Systems" WebLogic to JBoss with little modification.
But the new release may be more notable for legal, rather than technological, reasons. Growing rancor between JBoss and Sun over J2EE compatibility could spill over into a legal battle, according to company executives.