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JBoss 4.0 First to Apply Aspect-Oriented Programming Framework to Java Application Server

JBoss 4.0 First to Apply Aspect-Oriented Programming Framework to Java Application Server
By Java News Desk
Article Rating:
June 2, 2003 12:00 AM EDT
Reads:
 20,006
(June 2, 2003) - The developer edition of JBoss 4.0 is available now, providing a range of services previously unavailable in any J2EE application server. The new services are enabled by the Java application server industry's first implementation of an aspect-oriented programming (AOP) framework. The framework allows developers to interact with the server in a very intuitive manner, making it easier to design, develop, deploy, and maintain enterprise Web applications.

The most popular Java-based application server in use today, JBoss is expected to reach three million downloads in 2003. Employees of JBoss Group and developers from the open source community worked together to produce JBoss 4.0. It is designed for use by Java developers, systems administrators, and ISVs. A version intended to support enterprise applications in production will be available in the fourth quarter of 2003.

The AOP architecture of JBoss 4.0 enables it to provide a wide range of services, including object persistence, caching, acidity, remoteness, transactions and security. The framework allows developers to write plain Java objects and apply these enterprise-type services later on in the development cycle - without changing a line of Java code. This provides a clean separation between the system architect and the application developer. Unique among Java-based application servers today, this architecture combines the simplicity of standard Java with the power of J2EE.

JBoss 4.0 includes:

  • Aspect-oriented programming framework-The JBoss 4.0 AOP framework allows developers to quickly and easily apply services such as transactions, persistence, remoteness and cache replication without creating EJBs-they simply code or reuse plain Java objects, classes or dynamic proxies and can subsequently apply higher-level services. A management console allows users to view classes that have been loaded by the AOP framework, as well as their interceptor chains, introductions, pointcuts and associated metadata.

  • JMX microkernel architecture-The microkernel provides dynamic, configurable and pluggable deployment, manages component dependencies, and provides component management and persistence. JMX technology is the industry standard for management and monitoring of Java objects. It forms the basis for building and managing distributed J2EE Web applications.

  • Hot deploy-JBoss 4.0 enables hot deployment of services and applications. Components, EJBs, applications, database connections, AOP constructs, and even plain JAR files can be deployed, undeployed, and redeployed at runtime. This enables a quick development cycle because the application server does not need to be restarted, and provides 24/7 availability because new application versions can be cycled at runtime.

    "With JBoss 4.0, we're accelerating the pace of J2EE innovation by offering services and higher-level functionality other vendors can't even begin to provide," said Marc Fleury, founder and CEO of JBoss Group. "JBoss 4.0 leverages its new AOP framework to ship services and aspects that are not present in other Java servers or the J2EE specification. For example, it is the only Java application server to enable developers to define acid behavior for all Java objects, including those existing in Web layers. The server's remote framework and associated aspects also allow developers to easily define methods as 'one way' for asynchronous calls. This is an extremely useful programming construct that today requires heavy use of JMS messaging and EJB Message Driven Beans. None of these Java object services are available outside of the JBoss server."

    JBoss 4.0 may be downloaded free of charge from the JBoss Group Web site and SourceForge.net. Training, support, consulting, and documentation for JBoss 4.0 are available from JBoss Group.

    • Published June 2, 2003 – Reads 20,006
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    Most Recent Comments
    Juergen 06/06/03 03:34:00 AM EDT

    ... that there are still that many people in the IT industry who cannot keep their mouth closed, but spit out things in the public that others release privately on their toilets.

    It's symptomatic that these hot shots usually think they know what others are talking about just by recognizing words - and are usually totally unconscious about the meaning... ;-)

    My 2 meta cents ...
    jerome 06/05/03 07:40:00 AM EDT

    Hi,
    I understand your rage but please don't forget the TAO of object oriented philosophy : REUSE !!!!
    Internet now provides us tools to avoid reinventing the wheeel & to do enhance someone else work isn't it ?
    So that is what AOP framework in JBOSS intend to do.
    I think that is a good layer, in early stages but may provide great services.
    Enjoy!!!
    Cheers
    my 2 cents
    Jerome
    Peter 06/03/03 03:44:00 PM EDT

    Regardless of whether something like this has occurred before, JBoss 4.0 is a very intriguing release.

    The classloader is actually changing (recoding) classes as they are loaded to add in new features.

    The article (PR release) doesn't make it that clear that this release is intended for developers only. The final 4.0 (for production) won't be out until later in the year.

    That said, we've already running JBoss 4.0 on some customer accounts as they requested it.
    Jesse 06/03/03 02:21:00 PM EDT

    Objective C? How stupid of all of us to overlook THAT little gem. When I think "enterprise", I immediately envision a Macintosh running a clustered app server environment, sure. It's not so much what the programmign world is coming to,but what it's moving AWAY FROM (thank goodness).
    ObjC 06/03/03 01:08:00 PM EDT

    All bullshit!!! This has been available in Objective C for ages... and now some one is getting a PHD on this! what the hell is the programmign world coming to?
    Lee Harkness 06/03/03 11:17:00 AM EDT

    As I read the headline to this article, I couldn't help but think about another article:

    http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-03-2003/jw-0307-jac.html

    And the work that these folk ( http://jac.aopsys.com ) are doing. I think it's all very interesting stuff, and I am glad that jBoss is heading that way, but I don't think you can lay claim to "first", right?

    Lee