Version 3.5 of BlueGlue allows businesses to create, integrate and manage open-source, commercial and proprietary applications in mixed Windows and Linux environments as needed, using a larger pool of open-source applications than the earlier version of the suite.
"The major enhancement here is extensibility. What we've done is open up the [application programming interface] for the enterprise so our enterprise customers can add their own open-source programs that they're using" to the custom-tailored BlueGlue stacks," said Steve Grandchamp, CEO of Broomfield, Colo.-based OpenLogic. "They can create the perfect certified stacks for their use."
The previous version of BlueGlue included 120 open-source applications to choose from; Version 3.5 includes more than 150, he said. The available applications include the Apache Ant Java tool, the Eclipse development platform and a myriad of plug-ins, the Hibernate Java framework, the mySQL relational database, the PHP scripting language, the PostgreSQL relational database and Tomcat, a Java servlet container.
BlueGlue also automates the installation of the selected applications and allows custom configurations or changes to add or remove applications at a later date, according to the company. The updated software stack also includes new controls to filter or limit the types of open-source projects available to development and IT organizations by license -- a move aimed at giving companies more control over application use.
"The risk and complexity of working in a mixed open-source development environment has made it difficult to manage projects across an enterprise," Grandchamp said. "With the latest version of BlueGlue, OpenLogic introduces a mainstream approach to its documentation and support services. We create a bridge between the open-source community and the enterprise."
The idea, he said, is to help organizations with oversight and compliance issues so they may reduce risks and confidently introduce open-source software into their environments.
Pricing starts at US$399 per user, with enterprise pricing also available. The product is available now.
OpenLogic launched the original BlueGlue 3.0 Open Source Infrastructure Management Suite in June 2004.
OpenLogic isn't the only vendor offering preconfigured open-source application stacks. Also in the marketplace are SpikeSource Inc., SourceLabs Inc. and IBM, which earlier this year acquired Gluecode Software Inc.
Stacey Quandt, an analyst at Aberdeen Group Inc. in Boston, said that IBM's entrance into the preconfigured stack market will likely make it tougher for companies such as OpenLogic, SpikeSource and SourceLabs. "To integrate an open-source stack, there is value there [for users], but there's going to be a shake-out with the vendors in the marketplace," she said. "I think it makes it risky from the standpoint of putting your eggs all in one basket."