Apache's Java server delayed

The application server will miss its target date of Aug. 6 for writing of the code and certification testing of the software, Geir Magnusson Jr., the chair of the Geronimo project, said on Friday. But it should still be ready later in the same quarter, he added.

The Geronimo project, launched a year ago by the Apache group, is working to create software that will run Web applications based the Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) 1.4 specification. Once it has undergone J2EE certification, the application server will be made available for free under Apache's open-source license.

Geronimo will be the third open-source Java application server to be launched. The others are Jonas, from the ObjectWeb consortium, and JBoss, from the commercial company of the same name that sells services around its open-source software.

Magnusson expects that these products will make a dent on the commercial market for Java application servers, also referred to as "containers."

"The impact will be all over the map, from developers who want--for free--to work on and learn J2EE technology to small ISVs (independent software vendors) who want to get a container like Geronimo," Magnusson said.

On the proprietary side, IBM, BEA Systems, Oracle, Sun Microsystems and other companies charge a license fee for their application servers, which they package with features such as management tools. There are also commercial Java server software suites that include portals and integration software.

Already, one independent company has decided to offer the Geronimo software as part of a commercial product. Start-up Gluecode Software plans to announce on Monday that it will sell the open-source Java application server alongside a series of tools it has built to manage the software. It will also offer support services on a subscription basis.

Gluecode already provides open-source Java-based workflow and portal software based on the Apache Jetspeed project.