ObjectWeb and the Apache Software Foundation, which each develop an open-source Java application server, have reached a technology sharing agreement designed to accelerate certification of their products under Sun Microsystems Inc."s latest Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) standard.
The two groups agreed in principle in November to work more closely on the development of their software. They have now ratified a plan that lets the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) use middleware components developed by ObjectWeb in the ASF"s application server, the organizations said Monday.
ObjectWeb and the ASF each hope to certify their products as compliant with Version 1.4 of Sun"s J2EE specification sometime in 2004, they said. Certification helps ensure compatibility among application servers from different vendors, allowing customers to mix and match products. It"s also seen as a basic checklist item for many corporate users.
ObjectWeb, a consortium of government and business developers based in Grenoble, France, was founded in 2002 to foster development of a range of open-source middleware. The projects it oversees include the Jonas application server, which was launched in 1999. The ASF, which also supports several open-source projects, announced its Geronimo application server in August.