Rod Johnson: SpringSource and the future of Spring
The recently announced SpringSource Enterprise Maintenance Policy 
came as a surprise to many Java developers, in some circles sparking anger and calls for a Spring fork. One factor in the
controversy may be the relationship between the lesser known commercial vendor, SpringSource, and its widely popular open
source product, the Spring framework. In this discussion with Andrew Glover, SpringSource CEO Rod Johnson talks about how
his company walks the line between commercial success and its driving role in open source projects such as the Spring framework
and Tomcat. Similarly, he explains what factors might cause developers to migrate from Spring's strictly free and open source
products to the commercial, and costly, SpringSource Enterprise package. Johnson also discusses the new, OSGi-based SpringSource
Application Platform, which he says is designed not for where the Java enterprise market has been, but for where it is going.
- The SpringSource announcement and FAQ about the Enterprise Maintenance Policy.
- JW bloggers Dustin Marx and Joshua Fruhlinger consider the implications of the Enterprise Maintenance Policy.
- One Spring framework user's discovery and angry response to the new policy.
- More on JavaWorld about the SpringSource Application Platform and Spring dm Server.
- More on JavaWorld about Java modularity and OSGi.
- Visit JavaWorld's Enterprise Java research center or search for a complete listing of articles introducing the Spring framework and related tools.
- Stay tuned for more inside views from JavaWorld's Java Technology Insider.
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Java: A platform for platforms
Sun's reorg may seem promising to shareholders but it's also a scramble for position. The question now is whether Sun can,
or wants to, maintain its hold on Java technology. Especially with enterprise leaders like SpringSource and RedHat investing
heavily in Java's future as a platform for platforms
Also see:
Discuss: Tim Bray on 'What Sun Should Do'