BEA Systems on Monday launched a lower cost version of its WebLogic Java software suite targeted at Java programmers and software vendors.
The new software, WebLogic Workshop Professional Edition, lets developers build and deploy Java business applications. The new bundle is priced at at $995 and available from BEA and software distributors. The new suite is a paired-down version of WebLogic Workshop, first introduced last year. It includes an application server, Web portal, integration software, data access tools, and a development tool.
With the new bundle, BEA intended to offer a full-featured version of its software to programmers looking to build smaller applications at a relatively low cost, according to company executives. Applications written with WebLogic Workshop Professional Edition can only be used by five people. By contrast, BEA's WebLogic Platform Edition, which can be rolled out to an unrestricted number of people, can cost tens of thousands of dollars or more. Appealing to developers with lower cost, cutting-edge software is a top priority for BEA. Getting developers to use BEA's tools helps generate follow-on sales of more expensive Java server software. BEA is battling IBM and Oracle in the highly competitive market for Java server software suites.
News source: C|net
