JAVAONE - Conference's focus shifting to open-source tools

15.05.2006
Open-source tools are taking center stage this week at the annual JavaOne conference as users seek more flexible options for building Java applications that have built-in user communities to support them.

Oracle Corp. and The Eclipse Foundation, among others, intend to disclose open-source plans at the conference. Meanwhile, Sun Microsystems Inc., the creator and steward of Java, has hinted that it will make several open-source announcements in addition to unveiling a new version of enterprise Java.

IT staffers at E! Entertainment Television Inc. in Los Angeles, will be on the lookout for open-source and commercial Java tools at the show as the company seeks to cut its code-writing chores, said David Johnson, manager of software engineering.

Johnson said the cable television outfit has ramped up its use of open-source Java tools over the past year so it can do extensive work with the software without having to commit to a particular vendor.

"The traditional 30-day 'try before you buy' that vendors give isn't enough to fully evaluate how a tool or framework can be incorporated into an existing enterprisewide application," Johnson said. "Open-source tools give us a jumping-off point to experiment with a new standard."

Johnson also said that open-source communities are more likely than vendors to respond to requests for help with the tools.