Web development can bury a team under mountains of HTML files, images, and non-development-related documents from marketing and management. Two years ago, as a way for Java developers to handle all that new “content,” the Apache Sling project began. Yesterday, the second release of this Java Content Repository (JCR) access framework was released within the Apache Foundation's incubator.
##CONTINUE##
Carsten Ziegeler, a committer on the project, explained, “Without Sling, it is often very time-consuming to develop large websites with thousands of pages and even more content snippets displayed throughout the site. Therefore, we started to develop a platform for our content-based products, which enables the rapid and elegant development of content-based applications.
"Sling uses a Java Content Repository as the back-end store for all information. One of the major goals is to have a modular, scalable, extensible and flexible platform, which is also manageable. Therefore we choose OSGi as the underlying platform."
Day Software, the company behind much of the work on Apache Sling, started on this path toward a development environment focused on JSR-170 (Java Content Repositories), when its current CTO, David Nuescheler, became specification lead on JSR-170 in 2002. The spec was finalized in 2005, and just under two years later, Nuescheler's coworkers began building the Apache Sling framework to manage connections between Java applications and their JSR-170-compliant JCRs.
The idea is to stick all that Web content in a simpler repository, rather than spreading it around the hard drive of each Web server. Thus, content developers can slot images, text and other items into the content repository, rather than trying to keep track of individual assets as they move through the many segments of a company. Because the JCR manages content in a manner similar to an SCM system, developers using Sling can quickly tie this information into portlets or beans.
At Switzerland-based Day Software, Felix Meschberger (who can be seen as the father of Sling), Bertrand Delacretaz and Ziegeler worked to build a new API for dealing with content repositories. Said Ziegeler: “While the original idea was to have a framework based on JCR, it took us some time (and several complete rewrites) to recognize that we shouldn't do that. [Rather, we should] base the whole framework on a more generic abstraction (which we call the resource API).
"Getting this API right, and providing enough functionality—but not too much—was the most tricky part. We spent nearly a year on this. But today we are very proud of this API as it makes Sling even more powerful and elegant."
This API layer allows developers to use scripting languages or straight Java to dictate the manner in which Web content is handled on its way to the client-side. Apache Sling is available for free from the Apache Foundation's website.
-----------------------------
BY Alex Handy
Source：SDTimes
Copyright © 1999-2009 BZ Media LLC, all rights reserved.
Showing posts with label Apache. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apache. Show all posts
iPhone changes dynamics of game software industry
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After years of building large, graphics-intensive blockbusters, developers are starting to make shorter, less expensive games for the iPhone and its phone-less sibling, the iPod Touch.
##CONTINUE##
Only a few years ago, bigger guns, badder enemies and louder explosives mattered most in video games.
Now, small is beautiful, and Apple Inc.'s iPhone is largely responsible.
The surprising emergence of the iPhone and its phone-less sibling, the iPod Touch, as hand-held game consoles has started to change the dynamics of the $40-billion game software industry. In addition to making titles for the iPhones, publishers are studying the thousands of games already available, figuring out what works and applying those lessons to more traditional games.
After years of building large, graphics-intensive blockbusters that come out every few years, developers are starting to make shorter, less expensive games that are released in more frequent installments. They're also making iPhone versions of major franchises that tie into the version for the console or computer.
"The iPhone has changed everything," said Neil Young, a game developer who last year left one of the industry's largest publishers, Electronic Arts Inc., to found Ngmoco, a San Francisco maker of iPhone games.
It's not just the device that's having an effect. It's also Apple's App Store, an online marketplace where users can browse through 25,000 software applications from thousands of publishers.
Many are games that take advantage of the multi-touch screens, accelerometers and Web connections featured in the iPhone and iPod Touch. On a typical day, six to eight of the 10 bestselling apps are games.
One-third of all iPhone owners who use apps had downloaded Tap Tap Revenge by February, research firm ComScore said last week. That made the music game, which is free in some versions and $4.99 in others, the most-owned app. Twelve of the top 25 -- and five of the top 10 -- listed by ComScore are games.
After shoppers submit their credit card information once at Apple's online iTunes store, they can start buying apps from a computer or directly on their devices with a single click, without having to reach for their wallets again.
Since July, consumers have downloaded 800 million apps. Some are free, but many others cost 99 cents to $10 (Apple takes a 30% cut).
Video games that cost less than $10 are a big change. A typical title for a console or PC typically sells for $30 to $60. For hand-held games on Nintendo Co.'s DS, games cost $20 to $35 a pop.
Nintendo recently announced that owners of its upcoming DSi hand-held console would be able buy downloadable games for as little as $2. Nintendo executives say their pricing strategy was formed independently from the App Store, and they are quick to point out how their business is different from Apple's.
"Are we intrigued by the iPhone? Yes," said Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo's North American business. "But our approach is fundamentally different. We want to give our customers high-quality, innovative and captivating entertainment. A storefront with 10,000 pieces of content doesn't do that."
Analysts see a different story.
"Nintendo is definitely paying attention," said Billy Pidgeon, an analyst with IDC. "It's pretty obvious from their pricing that Nintendo studies what Apple does."
Other game companies are also paying attention. Electronic Arts, which is releasing 14 iPhone titles this year, is starting to explore how iPhone apps can be an extension of its larger games, said Travis Boatman, the Redwood City, Calif., company's vice president of mobile studios.
EA's Spore Origins game for the iPhone was a stand-alone title meant to boost the visibility of its much bigger sibling, Spore for the PC. But the two games did not connect, so players couldn't export virtual creatures from the iPhone game to the PC version. Boatman said future projects were more likely to have those types of crossovers.
"There's potentially a lot of money to be made from those connections," he said, noting that there are more than 17 million iPhones and 13 million iPod Touches in the market. "You will see this happen more because there are very good business reasons for doing it."
Pidgeon said that big publishers such as EA are carefully watching the experiments of small studios that have made top-selling games for the iPhone, such as Subatomic Studio's Fieldrunners, Secret Exit's Zen Bound and Steve Demeter's Trism, which generated $250,000 in sales in its first two months.
"They're seeing that small shops with one or two people can make a hit game," he said. "IPhone has taught them that small bets can pay off big."
The iPhone is also giving developers reasons to rethink their creative approach to designing games. Instead of spending two years and more than $25 million to develop a title, some developers are looking at releasing multiple episodes over time.
The idea of smaller, cheaper, faster game development isn't entirely new.
Decades ago, the Sims, from EA, pioneered the notion of selling expansion packs that contained several dozen virtual items such as outfits, pets and furniture, said Bing Gordon, partner with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a venture firm in Menlo Park, Calif.
And sped-up game development has its roots in the mid-1990s with Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University who taught his students to make lots of quick prototypes of their ideas, rather than trying to hone one perfect project.
"The real breakthrough is iTunes and the App Store," a section within iTunes, Gordon said. "It suddenly opens the floodgates" for consumers to buy smaller games in massive quantities.
Lorne Lanning, president of Oddworld Inhabitants, a game developer in San Luis Obispo, said he liked the iPhone's ability to reach millions of players who can give feedback on a game's features. Developers can either take that information and refine current versions with software updates or build it into their next installment, Lanning said.
"As we head to the future, we need to start really small," Lanning said. "Get it out there, and let people help shape it. Learn from your audience."
-----------------------------
BY Alex Pham - alex.pham@latimes.com
Source：Los Angeles Times
Copyright 2009 Los Angeles Times.
##CONTINUE##
Only a few years ago, bigger guns, badder enemies and louder explosives mattered most in video games.
Now, small is beautiful, and Apple Inc.'s iPhone is largely responsible.
The surprising emergence of the iPhone and its phone-less sibling, the iPod Touch, as hand-held game consoles has started to change the dynamics of the $40-billion game software industry. In addition to making titles for the iPhones, publishers are studying the thousands of games already available, figuring out what works and applying those lessons to more traditional games.
After years of building large, graphics-intensive blockbusters that come out every few years, developers are starting to make shorter, less expensive games that are released in more frequent installments. They're also making iPhone versions of major franchises that tie into the version for the console or computer.
"The iPhone has changed everything," said Neil Young, a game developer who last year left one of the industry's largest publishers, Electronic Arts Inc., to found Ngmoco, a San Francisco maker of iPhone games.
It's not just the device that's having an effect. It's also Apple's App Store, an online marketplace where users can browse through 25,000 software applications from thousands of publishers.
Many are games that take advantage of the multi-touch screens, accelerometers and Web connections featured in the iPhone and iPod Touch. On a typical day, six to eight of the 10 bestselling apps are games.
One-third of all iPhone owners who use apps had downloaded Tap Tap Revenge by February, research firm ComScore said last week. That made the music game, which is free in some versions and $4.99 in others, the most-owned app. Twelve of the top 25 -- and five of the top 10 -- listed by ComScore are games.
After shoppers submit their credit card information once at Apple's online iTunes store, they can start buying apps from a computer or directly on their devices with a single click, without having to reach for their wallets again.
Since July, consumers have downloaded 800 million apps. Some are free, but many others cost 99 cents to $10 (Apple takes a 30% cut).
Video games that cost less than $10 are a big change. A typical title for a console or PC typically sells for $30 to $60. For hand-held games on Nintendo Co.'s DS, games cost $20 to $35 a pop.
Nintendo recently announced that owners of its upcoming DSi hand-held console would be able buy downloadable games for as little as $2. Nintendo executives say their pricing strategy was formed independently from the App Store, and they are quick to point out how their business is different from Apple's.
"Are we intrigued by the iPhone? Yes," said Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo's North American business. "But our approach is fundamentally different. We want to give our customers high-quality, innovative and captivating entertainment. A storefront with 10,000 pieces of content doesn't do that."
Analysts see a different story.
"Nintendo is definitely paying attention," said Billy Pidgeon, an analyst with IDC. "It's pretty obvious from their pricing that Nintendo studies what Apple does."
Other game companies are also paying attention. Electronic Arts, which is releasing 14 iPhone titles this year, is starting to explore how iPhone apps can be an extension of its larger games, said Travis Boatman, the Redwood City, Calif., company's vice president of mobile studios.
EA's Spore Origins game for the iPhone was a stand-alone title meant to boost the visibility of its much bigger sibling, Spore for the PC. But the two games did not connect, so players couldn't export virtual creatures from the iPhone game to the PC version. Boatman said future projects were more likely to have those types of crossovers.
"There's potentially a lot of money to be made from those connections," he said, noting that there are more than 17 million iPhones and 13 million iPod Touches in the market. "You will see this happen more because there are very good business reasons for doing it."
Pidgeon said that big publishers such as EA are carefully watching the experiments of small studios that have made top-selling games for the iPhone, such as Subatomic Studio's Fieldrunners, Secret Exit's Zen Bound and Steve Demeter's Trism, which generated $250,000 in sales in its first two months.
"They're seeing that small shops with one or two people can make a hit game," he said. "IPhone has taught them that small bets can pay off big."
The iPhone is also giving developers reasons to rethink their creative approach to designing games. Instead of spending two years and more than $25 million to develop a title, some developers are looking at releasing multiple episodes over time.
The idea of smaller, cheaper, faster game development isn't entirely new.
Decades ago, the Sims, from EA, pioneered the notion of selling expansion packs that contained several dozen virtual items such as outfits, pets and furniture, said Bing Gordon, partner with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a venture firm in Menlo Park, Calif.
And sped-up game development has its roots in the mid-1990s with Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University who taught his students to make lots of quick prototypes of their ideas, rather than trying to hone one perfect project.
"The real breakthrough is iTunes and the App Store," a section within iTunes, Gordon said. "It suddenly opens the floodgates" for consumers to buy smaller games in massive quantities.
Lorne Lanning, president of Oddworld Inhabitants, a game developer in San Luis Obispo, said he liked the iPhone's ability to reach millions of players who can give feedback on a game's features. Developers can either take that information and refine current versions with software updates or build it into their next installment, Lanning said.
"As we head to the future, we need to start really small," Lanning said. "Get it out there, and let people help shape it. Learn from your audience."
-----------------------------
BY Alex Pham - alex.pham@latimes.com
Source：Los Angeles Times
Copyright 2009 Los Angeles Times.
Happy Tenth Apache Software Foundation
Without the web, there would be no web content management systems. Some might say that without the Apache web server, the web as it is today either might not exist, or may have taken a very different direction.
##CONTINUE##
A shining example of the innovation and value provided by open source projects, ten years ago the Apache Software Foundation was formed by the same people that brought us the Apache web server.
The first Apache project was, of course, the Apache HTTP Server Project. Dozens of other open source projects have found support and a rich environment for growth under their umbrella.
For example, the original version of the SpamAssassin project chose to move into the Foundation's sphere. Joining the Foundation does not involve surrendering ownership of your code, though you do have to change to the Apache License.
The importance of this license can't be overstated. The Apache License was the first credible business-friendly open source alternative to the GPL. Having so much software out in the Apache License makes it easier for developers to share code, without making people feel pressure to go with the more strict GPL for similar reasons.
Another significant contribution to the open source development community is the Apache Individual Contributor License, which among other things, provides Apache projects with legal protection in case they are given problematic patches or other code — a crucial piece of helping protect open source projects from destruction by lawsuit.
With ApacheCon and other Apache events as well, a broader development community formed with similar values and goals.
For more on ten years of the Apache Software Foundation, see an extensive interview with Roy Fielding and Bertrand Delacretaz of the ASF.
-----------------------------
BY Dee-Ann LeBlanc
Source：CMS WiRE
Copyright © 2009 Simpler Media Group. Some rights reserved. v2.00.29.158.
##CONTINUE##
A shining example of the innovation and value provided by open source projects, ten years ago the Apache Software Foundation was formed by the same people that brought us the Apache web server.
On March 25, 1999, Roy Fielding signed the Apache Software Foundation's incorporation papers. The foundation's purpose? To provide "organizational, legal, and financial support for a broad range of open source software projects."
A Little HistoryThe first Apache project was, of course, the Apache HTTP Server Project. Dozens of other open source projects have found support and a rich environment for growth under their umbrella.
For example, the original version of the SpamAssassin project chose to move into the Foundation's sphere. Joining the Foundation does not involve surrendering ownership of your code, though you do have to change to the Apache License.
The importance of this license can't be overstated. The Apache License was the first credible business-friendly open source alternative to the GPL. Having so much software out in the Apache License makes it easier for developers to share code, without making people feel pressure to go with the more strict GPL for similar reasons.
Another significant contribution to the open source development community is the Apache Individual Contributor License, which among other things, provides Apache projects with legal protection in case they are given problematic patches or other code — a crucial piece of helping protect open source projects from destruction by lawsuit.
With ApacheCon and other Apache events as well, a broader development community formed with similar values and goals.
For more on ten years of the Apache Software Foundation, see an extensive interview with Roy Fielding and Bertrand Delacretaz of the ASF.
-----------------------------
BY Dee-Ann LeBlanc
Source：CMS WiRE
Copyright © 2009 Simpler Media Group. Some rights reserved. v2.00.29.158.
Microsoft Contributes to Apache Open Source SOA Project
Microsoft is contributing code to one of Apache’s open-source SOA project. In a blog post, Microsoft said it was contributing code to Project Stonehenge, intended to build a set of sample applications to implement a SOA based on approved W3C and OASIS standard protocols.
##CONTINUE##
“We are proposing this incubator project because we believe that a project that includes a set of sample applications, with multiple language and framework implementations will become a useful and important part of the SOA landscape,” Microsoft said in a statement.
The company added it valued Apache’s use the well-defined governance model to encourage SOA framework developers to contribute work, especially the implementations of the core components.
Microsoft also said it agreed with several of Project Stonehenge’s goals of cross-platform SOA development and SOA interoperability. Microsoft specifically said it joined Apache in these goals:
Illustrate and develop best practice for interoperable applications that communicate via distributed protocols. Demonstrate interoperability between platforms Provide sample code upon which SOA developers can build Help identify interoperability issues and their solutions Build confidence in cross-platform deployment of SOA technologies.
Microsoft said its contributions are aimed at helping Project Stonehenge achieve these goals: Make Apache attractive to wide range of vendors and customers Provide a well-established, neutral forum and process for architectural design and implementation Allow users to leverage Stonehenge without arduous conditions.
Using SOA Stock Trading Apps as Proof-of-Concept
Open Source SOA provider WSO2 will contribute an application called StockTrader, which is implemented in various languages based on Axis2/Java and Axis2/C including Java, PHP, Ruby, Perl, Python, and Spring.
Interoperability between WSO2’s StockTrader 2.0 application and the Microsoft StockTrader 2.0 has already been demonstrated and we expect to demonstrate wider interoperability, the company said.
“Going beyond StockTrader, we expect to develop additional applications that demonstrate SOA principles in an open and collaborative manner within the Stonehenge community,” Microsoft said in the statement.
-----------------------------
BY Vance McCarthy
Source：Integration Developer News
Enterprise Developer News, LLC • PO Box 705 • Corte Madera, CA 94976 • feedback@idevnews.com
##CONTINUE##
“We are proposing this incubator project because we believe that a project that includes a set of sample applications, with multiple language and framework implementations will become a useful and important part of the SOA landscape,” Microsoft said in a statement.
The company added it valued Apache’s use the well-defined governance model to encourage SOA framework developers to contribute work, especially the implementations of the core components.
Microsoft also said it agreed with several of Project Stonehenge’s goals of cross-platform SOA development and SOA interoperability. Microsoft specifically said it joined Apache in these goals:
Microsoft said its contributions are aimed at helping Project Stonehenge achieve these goals:
Using SOA Stock Trading Apps as Proof-of-Concept
Open Source SOA provider WSO2 will contribute an application called StockTrader, which is implemented in various languages based on Axis2/Java and Axis2/C including Java, PHP, Ruby, Perl, Python, and Spring.
Interoperability between WSO2’s StockTrader 2.0 application and the Microsoft StockTrader 2.0 has already been demonstrated and we expect to demonstrate wider interoperability, the company said.
“Going beyond StockTrader, we expect to develop additional applications that demonstrate SOA principles in an open and collaborative manner within the Stonehenge community,” Microsoft said in the statement.
-----------------------------
BY Vance McCarthy
Source：Integration Developer News
Enterprise Developer News, LLC • PO Box 705 • Corte Madera, CA 94976 • feedback@idevnews.com
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