Abuse of The Community Process



Email    print   
January 15, 2006 —  (Page 1 of 2)
BEA, IBM and Sun are at it again. Remember that a key principle behind the Java community was “Collaborate on standards, compete on implementation”? Well, of late, developers have heard more about “compete on standards.”

The latest culprit is a spec called the Service Component Architecture, proposed by a bevy of companies, including BEA, IBM and Iona. Sun’s crying foul, complaining that SCA partially duplicates work already done by JSR 208, the Java Business Integration (JBI) specification unveiled as the centerpiece of last summer’s JavaOne.

But don’t forget: JSR 208 wasn’t a slam dunk. Both BEA and IBM abstained in the final approval ballot for Java Business Integration, and clearly those companies feel no loyalty toward a Java Community Process initiative that they didn’t support.

Worse, the fact that BEA and IBM pushed this particular project, which includes both SCA and an earlier project from the two companies called Service Data Objects, outside the Java Community Process makes one wonder exactly what the JSP is for. Complicating matters is that SCA is billed as a language-independent platform, so while it in part duplicates JBI, it’s not clear if the JCP is truly the best place for it.

According to Iona’s Eric Newcomer—who supports both JBI and SCA/SDO—the proposal will go to Eclipse, a Sun nemesis, instead of the JCP. But if that’s the plan, why were these specs developed behind closed doors, rather than using the Eclipse collaborative process?

Despite the broad acceptance of organizations like the JCP, the Eclipse Foundation and the Apache Software Foundation, it’s still far too common for companies like BEA and IBM to develop complete technologies and specifications first, and deploy them within their own products. Only after they have a comfortable head start, do they seek a community rubber stamp of the completed work. (Microsoft is just as guilty, using Ecma International to “fast track” specifications, like the Office 12 XML schema and C# language, into de facto industry standards.)




Pages 1 2 


Share this link: http://sdt.bz/29083
 
Most Read Latest News Blog Resources

Add comment


Name*
Email*  
Country     


  • Comment
Loading




close
NEXT ARTICLE
Microsoft joins Object Management Group
Microsoft's entry into OMG shows a commitment to backing model-driven development. This change came after the announcement of its "Oslo" initiative, which is attempting to move model-driven development into the mainstream Read More...
 
 
 
 
News on Monday
more>>
SharePoint Tech Report
more>>


   

 
 

Download Current Issue
FEBRUARY 2012 PDF ISSUE

Need Back Issues?
DOWNLOAD HERE

Want to subscribe?


 
blogs tab
Are you at risk for burnout?
Burnout is a severe problem and it can strike at any time. Here's how to tell if you are nearing the edge.
02/09/2012 02:16 PM EST

Agility, mom, and apple pie
If we're to evaluate the state-of-the-art in software development, we should start with the values espoused in the Agile Manifesto.
02/07/2012 11:57 AM EST

RIM woos developers with free tablet
How do you get more apps ported to the BlackBerry PlayBook? By giving every developer a free tablet, of course!
02/04/2012 01:57 PM EST

GitHire: Use Headhunters to Find Your Perfect Programmer
Are you a hiring manager tired of scouring the job boards? Check out this new service that will find 5 people interested in your jobs.
02/03/2012 12:17 PM EST

Facebook claims hacker cred
Facebook's SEC S-1 filing form includes a short essay on the Hacker Way by Mark Zuckerberg himself.
02/02/2012 08:26 AM EST

Ryan Dahl steps down
Ryan Dahl, creator of Node.js, steps back from his position as gatekeeper for the project.
02/01/2012 04:58 PM EST

 
Events calendar tab
2/13/2012 to 2/16/2012
Santa Clara
TechWeb

2/26/2012 to 2/29/2012
San Francisco
BZ Media

2/27/2012 to 3/2/2012
San Francisco
RSA

3/4/2012 to 3/7/2012
Las Vegas
IBM Tivoli

3/5/2012 to 3/9/2012
San Francisco
TechWeb