Years ago, after I stopped writing CGI programs and graduated to
higher levels of abstraction, the first web application server I used
was WebObjects.
I agree that it does have a fairly steep learning curve, but once you've
overcome that, you can develop applications very rapidly. WebObject's API
is arguably more elegant and Object-Oriented than the servlet API and it's
obvious that a lot of thought was given to component reusability. It comes
with an integrated development environment that works very well, once you
get used to the particular perspective on application development that the
people at NeXT, who wrote it, had at the time. The only reason we still
aren't using it is because the IDE doesn't support team development as
much as I would like and the platforms that you can deploy on are not
members of the same set as platforms that you can develop on. Also, until
very recently the price difference between a reasonable deployment license
for WO was an order of magnitude higher than one for a servlet-based app
server and my director didn't think the functionality difference was worth
it.
WebObjects does have a mature O/R persistence layer that does a lot of
things I wish I had in the J2EE app server world, although I understand
that Java Blend (which I haven't looked at yet) goes a long way in that
direction. The RDBMS independance layer uses Adaptors that don't have
anything like the ubiquitousness of JDBC drivers and for connecting the
web to legacy or ERP systems you're basically at the mercy of the few
third party vendors who support WO. Be prepared to cough up a lot of
bucks.
WebObjects is completely proprietary simply because it predates the
cutting-edge Java server-side API's. The system itself, as far as time
on the market, actually predates server-side Java period, nevermind
JSP, EJB, etc.
This longevity is what I think explains its top spot in the
survey. There are a lot of people using it because it has simply been
on the market a lot longer than WebSphere, Weblogic, iPlanet, etc.
Bill
On Thu, 1 Jun 2000, Michael Prescott wrote:
> Some of my colleages have used WebObjects, and I've heard mixed things about it.
>Once you overcome its learning curve, it's apparently a very rapid way to develop
>fairly sophisticated functionality.
>
> I understand that it consists of a fairly mature O/R persistence layer (EOF) along
>with a very full-featured web application framework (although it's not even remotely
>servlet-based).
>
> The biggest drawback, apart from the learning curve, is the fact that it's
>completely proprietary. My impression is that Apple realized that it was about to
>lose the app server market completely, and if they didn't drop the price from $50,000
>to $700, they'd be giving it away for free in six months.
>
> I also gather from their press release that the 5.0 release is going to be
>significantly different, which makes me a little nevous about getting into bed with
>the technology at this point. It's going to be a completely Java application, for
>one thing, with EJB support.
>
> It's not a servlet container right now, either, and I'm not sure what their plans
>are for J2EE compliance or anything along those lines. Flashline has removed it from
>the app server comparison matrix, interestingly.
>
> I'm really scratching my head over this one - it currently holds top spot in the
>Java Developer's Journal 2000 Reader's Choice Awards for "Best Application Server".
>This is pretty suspicious given that it didn't even get nominated in the IDE,
>middleware, or class library categories. My guess is that a lot of those votes
>originated from apple.com!
>
> Michael
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: A mailing list about Java Server Pages specification and reference
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Alex Horovitz
> Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2000 12:28 PM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: WebObjects supplies Model-View-Controller (MVC) Development
> Today
>
>
> WebObjects (http://www.apple.com/WebObjects) is:
>
> An application server:
> WebObjects handles all your application server
> requirements—including load balancing, performance profiling, state
> management and failover, HTML generation and Java client
> interoperability.
>
> With cross- platform compatibility:
> WebObjects 4.5 runs on Mac OS X Server and Windows NT (as well as
> Solaris, HP-UX and Windows 2000), and works across applications,
> business systems and existing business logic.
>
> It connects to business data:
> WebObjects features an object-oriented adapter layer that lets you
> leverage data stored in Oracle, Sybase, Informix, OpenBase and ODBC
> databases — and now LDAP. If that's not enough, our developer
> partners will help you access information stored on mainframes, R/3,
> PeopleSoft and SAP databases.
>
> Uses Object Frameworks:
> Prebuilt objects provide the elements you need to create and extend
> network applications that serve millions of users.
>
> And comes with robust development tools:
> Apple offers a fully integrated set of tools, covering project
> management, data modeling, and constructing HTML and Java interfaces.
> WebObjects 4.5 features a completely redesigned WebObjects Builder,
> giving you even easier control over your HTML layout using an
> intuitive drag- and- drop interface, making it even easier to
> get the look you want.
>
>
> The best part about WebObjects is that all WebObjects development
> follows Model-View-Controller (MVC) the design pattern commonly known
> as "Model 2". And at $699 for development & unlimited deployment,
> the price is very hard to beat!
>
> Check it out for yourselves.
>
> -Alex
>
> ----
> Alex Horovitz
> Founder, Technical Advisor
> BeyondIntuiton, Inc.
> http://www.beyondintuition.com
>
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