What is Jaggery.js

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JavaScript has always had a special place in my tool chest.  The language delivers the power of scripting, dynamic typing, object-orientation, and web application frameworks. My first introduction to web application programming used client-side JavaScript and server-side JavaScript (SSJA) based on the Netscape Livewire framework.  JavaScript was my ticket to the web, social programming, open community involvement, and becoming an industry expert. While posting a few queries, answering questions, and interacting with Brendan Eich via the LiveWire NewsGroup (using NNTP), I was approached by an acquisition editor to contribute two chapter for the 1997 version of JavaScript Unleashed.  While working at a Hummer Winblad backed Software as a Service company during the turn of the century (1998-2001), we pushed the edge of the SSJS envelope to create a complex, multi-tenanted enterprise application.

WSO2 has released Jagger.js, a framework to compose webapps and HTTP-focused web services in pure Javascript for all aspects of the application: front-end, communication, Server-side logic and persistence. The framework will reduce the gap between writing client-side web application pages and back-end web services.

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Selecting Platform as a Service (PaaS)

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This blog post describes the Selecting a Cloud Platform White Paper.

Cloud benefits are compelling, and your peers are starting to demonstrate successful test projects, but you realize slick product demonstrations often do not mirror real world complexity.  You find your personal Cloud experience challenged by disconnected platform silos, complicated application architecture, diverse infrastructure technologies, and cloud washed services.  How can Cloud and Platform as a Service (PaaS) improve a development team’s ability to rapidly deliver high value business applications and meet user demand?

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Cloud languages and me-too vendors

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Sinclair @sschuller has triggered a lively debate over at Cloud U on Linkedin.   Sinclair’s blog post questions why PaaS providers “want to add as many languages as possible as quickly as possible. ”   Sinclair questions the business value obtained by polyglot language support and whether development teams will see through the hype and “walk away disenfranchised.”

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Gartner AADI Summit: Impressions from a civilian

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I have been participating in Gartner (and Burton Group) conferences since 2003, and this year was my first time participating as a civilian (e.g. a non-Gartner attendee).  I found myself continuing to direct attendees to relevant analysts, and I enjoyed chatting with my colleagues (i.e. Roy Schulte, Dan Sholler, Jim Duggan, Anne Thomas Manes, Richard Watson, Kirk Knoernschild, Sean Kennefick, Danny Brian, Donna PK, Kirsten Moran, Jeff Schulman, and Val Sribar) face to face.

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Selecting the correct data storage solution

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Srinath has written a decision framework explaining when to choose a specific data storage alternative (i.e. relational database [RDBMS], key-value system [BigTable], column family [NoSQL], document based system).  The decision model explains four constraints (i.e. type of data, scalability, consistency, and supported queries), and describes how the constraints impact the storage choice.

You an view the presentation here.

Learn about Hybrid PaaS and Cost Optimization

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WSO2 is sponsoring two educational webinars (i.e. Building a Hybrid Platform as a Service, Develop a Cost Optimization Strategy) and an all day on-site workshop (i.e. Introduction to Cloud middleware; WSO2 Carbon and Stratos).   I am creating the content this week, which provides you an opportunity to pose your questions early and influence the content.   If you miss the webinar dates, register to obtain the presentation deck and recording.  If you aren’t visiting Orlando on the 15th, send me a note on your interest.  We will be delivering more workshop events in 2012, and your vote could add your city to the list.

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Searching for Cloud Architecture….

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Does Platform as a Service (PaaS) exhibit a distinct architecture model?  What specific architectural components are required?

After reviewing architecture models from several vendors and industry organizations, I believe we are witnessing an early evolutionary period as we transition from web application architecture to cloud application architecture.  The analysis is based on reviewing the following vendor and analyst architecture diagrams:

  • NIST Cloud Computing Reference Architecture [1,2]
  • NIST Cloud Service Management [1,2]
  • IBM Cloud Computing Reference Architecture [8,9]
  • IBM Common Cloud Management Platform [8,9]
  • Oracle Reference Architecture [3]
  • Oracle Basic Platform as a Service Cloud Architecture [4]
  • Sonata SaaS Enablement Services [16]
  • JBoss in Cloud [5]
  • RedHat OpenShift Flex Architecture [6]
  • CloudFoundry Architecture [10]
  • CloudBees PaaS Reference Architecture [11]
  • HP CloudSystem Architecture [7]
  • Progress OpenEdge SaaS Service Architecture [12]
  • Intel SaaS Conceptual Architecture [13,14]
  • Apprenda SaaSGrid Architecture [15]
  • Amazon Web Services [17]
  • Microsoft Azure [18]
  • Forrester PaaS Reference Architecture [19]
  • Gartner PaaS Reference Model [20]

Will IT culture kill Cloud?

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The doctors are circling.   My Gartner colleague Lydia Leong has an interesting Cloud prescription, ‘to become like a cloud provider, fire everyone here,’  and industry watchers are picking up the message.

In her post, Lydia describes a Cloud conversation with corporate IT stakeholders and diagnosing:

“If you’re going to operate like a cloud provider, you will need to be willing to fire almost everyone in this room.”

 

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Workshop: Carbon and Stratos: understanding cloud-enabled modular middleware

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Join Jonathan Marsh and I in Orlando, Florida on December 15, 2011 to learn about WSO2 Carbon and Stratos.  The registration page is here.
WSO2 Carbon and Stratos provides a complete middleware platform for Enterprise computing: from on-premise to a full cloud-enabled runtime. In this session we will spend the morning looking at the Carbon platform – including leading ESB, AppServer, Governance Registry and more. In the afternoon we will look at the way this runtime is also available in a multi-tenant scalable, elastic architecture. This session will cover SOA and Cloud middleware, PaaS as well as digging deep into Cloud concepts.

This hands-on workshop provides a real opportunity to understand Carbon, OSGi middleware, PaaS, Stratos, and get going with a Cloud Platform. StratosLive is a complete running platform in the cloud, and participants will be encouraged to set up a tenant using their laptops during the workshop, and will understand how to install and use Stratos in a Private PaaS environment.

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Ghost in the machine

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What PaaS capabilities and components are required to migrate your application into the Cloud?  WSO2 announced the  WSO2 Stratos cloud middleware platform version 1.5.2 release.  Besides enhancements to 12 service components (i.e. application server, data service platform, enterprise service bus, identity service, governance service, gadgets, business activity monitoring, business process, business rules, mashups, message broker, complex event processing),  core platform enhancements include an innovative service-aware load balancer and ghost deployer.

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Is Cloud app dev going private?

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David Linthicum posted thoughts on  Cloud app dev going private.   He is seeing teams desiring a “private PaaS removes you from the details of the infrastructure and renders it irrelevant.”  I agree abstracting private infrastructure is beneficial.  Do you feel private PaaS offerings adequately raises the level of abstraction?

PaaS Evaluation Framework for CIOs and Architects

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An evaluation framework can help enterprise architects and solution architects evaluate and select PaaS offerings.  The evaluation framework can be used to shortlist PaaS providers, build questions posed in a Request for Proposal (RFP) document, or generate use case scenarios.   This blog post provides an overview of the PaaS Evaluation Framework published in the Selecting a Cloud Platform White paper.

At QCon International Software Development Conference 2011 and Gartner’s Application Architecture Development Integration Summit 2011, WSO2 will be distributing evaluation matrixes comparing Platform as a Service offerings.   We compiled scores of detailed requirements and attributes relevant to developers and project architects, and then we distilled the evaluation criteria into seven categories:

  • Cloud Characteristics
  • Cloud Dimensions
  • Production Ready
  • DevOps Activities and Phases
  • Cloud Architecture
  • Platform Services
  • Programming Model

Cloud Occupies Wall Street

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The lifeblood of the financial services industry is information, and I have found financial services firms to be early, innovative technology adopters.  Electronic trading exchanges have delivered business services ‘in the Cloud’ for many years, and financial specific compute grids deliver actionable market intelligence (e.g. piCloud, RiskMetrics).  As Cloud computing moves beyond the definition phase and technology infrastructure vendors deliver viable products, advanced Cloud computing concepts are starting to Occupy Wall Street.

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Gartner’s and Cobiacomm’s analysis of WSO2 SOA Governance

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WSO2, the lean enterprise middleware provider, announced that it has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. in the “Visionaries” quadrant of a new report, Magic Quadrant for SOA Governance Technologies[1]

My analysis (from an ex-Gartner research team leader), the placement demonstrates WSO2 team leadership in defining a vision for policy based service governance.     Continue reading →

WSO2Brasil community

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Is your native language Portuguese?      The WSO2Brasil blog contains useful community sponsored documentation in Portuguese.  According to the blog site, WSO2Brasil is a Brazilian community of interest which is intrigued by the WSO2 platform WSO2. The community exists to share knowledge and news, in addition to helping to spread the technology. The community members are interested in WSO2 products due to the code-free integration of Carbon modules and support for the creation, connection, composition,and governance of services via a complete SOA platform.

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Imitation is Flattery – PaaS styles and architecture options

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Within the span of two weeks, I have seen Richard Watson’s PaaS style framework posted twice on the Web.  In one case, the text was copied verbatim from Richard’s research report. In the other instance, a self-described technocrat artfully repurposed the concept without attribution (http://cloudcomputing.sys-con.com/node/2024287 ).

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First Day at WSO2

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You and I probably do not make a page-turning career move each day.  Pivotal moments are often far apart.  After eight years at Burton Group (and Gartner), I am excited to start my new career chapter today by joining WSO2 as Vice President of Technology Evangelism.
  • How many organizations provide an opportunity for you to be a pioneer and define the industry?

From the Trenches to the Stratosphere

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From the Trenches to the Stratosphere

Are you interested in technology trends, best practices, product evaluation criteria, peer adoption challenges, and viable use case scenarios?   This site will share knowledge and insight that increases your project’s value and contributes to your professional success. Key focus areas include:

  • Platform as a Service
  • Cloud Application Architecture Patterns
  • Service Oriented Architecture
  • Service Integration
  • Application Development
  • DevOps

Our audience spans from practitioners in the trenches (e.g. developers, architects, managers) to leaders (e.g. directors, vice presidents, chief technology officers, chief information officers) strategizing about how to reach the stratosphere.