3rd HD video from Saint Barth – Colombier beach

After the short presentation of the the villa Ella, a third HD video about Saint Barth, this time concerning one of our preferred beach, Colombier. One of the must of the island and a marvelous location for snorkeling!

As usual, you should also have a look at the high-res version here.

http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2008120101.swf

And still not the last video.

The next one will be for Laurent.

Comparison of Open Source Application Servers

openlogic

I have found – by accident really! – a very interesting presentation on SlideShare concerning the different leading Open Source Application Servers on the market.

This very solid evaluation is proposed by OpenLogic.

I have summarized parts of it below.

Goal of the presentation /

Help you choose which open source application servers to evaluate more thoroughly:

  • JBoss
  • GlassFish
  • dm Server
  • Geronimo
  • Tomcat

Which open source application servers are your using or considering using /

appserver

J2EE Didn’t Fill the Need /

  • EJB 2 is difficult to use
    • Many people consider it unnecessary difficult
    • Entity Beans were especially problematic
    • But even session beans earned bad reputations
  • The Open Source community responds
    • OSS packages mitigating the problem
      • Hibernate instead of Entity Beans
      • Spring as a component model
    • They were very successful in the marketplace
  • Many Spring/Hibernate applications
    • Required only Tomcat to run but also work in full app servers

When Tomcat Is Not Enough /

  • Tomcat doesn’t support
    • JMS
    • EJBs
    • Other…
  • Enterprises need integration
    • The more mature the app is, the more likely it is to be added
  • Add-ons
    • It was possible to add things that Tomcat was missing
    • But this became a “build your own Frankenstein” exercise

Java Enterprise Edition in the Meantime /

  • Weaknesses in EJB 2 model were recognized
  • Work on new specification was completed
    • J2EE → JEE 5
    • EJB 2 → EJB 3
      • Entity Beans → JPA
  • EJB 3
    • Simple annotation-based programming model
    • Not everybody adopted EJB 3
  • JEE 6 will embrace modularity
    • Profiles, including web profile

Choices in 2007 /

  • Use Spring
    • Start with full app server
    • Start with Tomcat, build from there
  • Use EJB 3
    • Requires full app servers
  • Full application server
    • Pros – everything you are likely to need, could use EJB
    • Cons – complexity, might use more resources then Tomcat
  • Tomcat
    • Pros – small, simple, low resource usage
    • Cons – you might need to build your own app server, no EJB

OSGi /

  • Started in 1999
    • Recently got a lot of exposure
    • In particular, R 4.1
      • JSR-294
  • OSGi brings
    • Dependency management and modularity
    • Ability to load only parts it needs
  • OSGi currently has a lot of mindshare

The central questions /

  • Decisions, decisions
    • EJB 3 or Spring
    • Spring on dm Server or on J2EE/JEE server?
    • OSGi or not OSGi
    • Do I need EJB 2 compatibility?
    • In addition, there are many “old” considerations
  • Servers are not “all inclusive”
    • EJB 3 apps won’t work on SpringSource dm Server or Tomcat

Assessment JBoss /

JBoss Thought Leadership

  • Complete ecosystem
    • Portal
    • ESB
    • BPM
  • JBoss has history of innovation
    • Pioneer of EJB 3
    • Seam Application Framework
    • Web Beans
  • OSGi
    • Support in JBoss 5

JBoss for Developers

  • Excellent customizability
    • JMX-based, don’t deploy what you don’t need
  • Seam is worth a look for developers
  • JDK 6 with 4.2.3 and 5.0 GA
    • JDK 5 compiled binaries work on both JDK 5 and JDK 6
  • JBoss IDE
    • Eclipse-based
    • JBoss Tools
      • Free version (RHDS is paid version)

JBoss in Production

  • Dependability
    • Excellent clustering and failover capability
    • Reliable in production
  • Monitoring and deployment capabilities
    • Not really oriented toward system administration out of the box
      • Command line/file edit flavor of configuration
      • GUI tools (Tomcat manager and JMX Console) are fairly basic
    • Excellent 3rd party tools available for monitoring
      • Hyperic
      • GroundWork IT
      • JON *

JBoss – Conclusions

  • Strengths
    • Mature, scalable and reliable
    • Good support for J2EE and EJB 3
    • Seam framework
  • Weaknesses
    • Limited GUI-based configuration in open source version
    • LGPL License may be a concern for ISV’s embedding app servers

Assessment SpringSource dm Server /

SpringSource dm Server

  • Newcomer
    • Released in April of 2008
    • GPL license
    • Incorporates many mature components
      • Spring Framework
      • Tomcat
      • Equinox
    • dm Server users are very early adopters
  • Different take on app server
    • OSGi support
    • No support for EJB
    • No JMS out of the box

dm Server for Developers

  • Server works well with Spring Framework
  • IDE
    • Spring IDE – IDE for Eclipse platform
    • Support for NetBeans and IntelliJ
  • OSGi support
    • Resolves “dependency hell”
    • But requires application migration to take advantage of it
  • Supports Java 5 and 6

dm Server Thought Leadership

  • OSGi-based
    • Good OSGi implementation
    • OSGi discussed a lot in their documentation
  • No support for EJB
    • No support for EJB 3 or old EJB 2 spec
  • Spring offers similar functionality to Seam
    • Which is somewhat more mature
    • Although some of the Seam ideas might be somewhat more powerful
      • Bijection

dm Server – Conclusions

  • Strengths
    • Support for Spring Framework
    • Support for OSGi
  • Weaknesses
    • Newcomer
    • No EJB
    • Limited experience among workforce

Assessment Tomcat /

Tomcat

  • First release (3.0.x) in 1999
    • Apache license
  • Servlet container
    • Lightweight server
  • Used in many other app servers
    • JBoss
    • dm Server
    • Geronimo

Tomcat – Conclusions

  • Strengths
    • Lightweight
    • Well known and tested
    • < li>Fast startup/deployment for development

  • Weaknesses
    • No support for EJB, JMS or almost anything else outside of “web side”
  • Tomcat in Development and Production

    • Tomcat 6 supports
      • Clustering
      • Failover
    • Widely used for both development and production
    • Supported in most popular IDEs

    Conclusions /

    • App servers are not just about the JEE specs
    • Make some high-level decisions before evaluation
      • Do I need EJB 2 compatibility?
      • Do I intend to follow EJB 3 and other industry standards?
      • Do I need something fast, lightweight, and easy to use?
      • Do I have a need for lifecycle management of server components (through OSGi)?
      • Do I need support for dynamic languages like Groovy and JRuby?
      • Am I an early adopter of new technology?

    Recommendations /

    • “I’m using EJBs and I’m conservative”
      • JBoss, GlassFish
    • “I don’t need XA/JMS/EJB”
      • Tomcat, JBoss, GlassFish, dm Server
    • “I’m using Spring”
      • Conservative – JBoss, Tomcat, GlassFish
      • Leading edge – dm Server
    • “I need to embed an app server in my commercial code”
      • Tomcat, Geronimo
    • “I use Spring heavily and I need OSGi”
      • I need it today and don’t need EJBs – dm Server
      • I need it soon and/or need EJBs – GlassFish, JBoss
    • “I use Seam”
      • JBoss
    • “I want ActiveMQ/Spring/Hibernate preinstalled”
      • Geronimo
    • “I need dynamic language support”
      • Groovy/Grails – dm Server, JBoss, GlassFish
      • JRuby/Rails – GlassFish, Geronimo

    Innoveo Skye – Product strategy workshop

    Yesterday and today, workshop with the Innoveo Management Team near Zurich for refining and documenting our Innoveo Skye™ (content, scope, roadmap) software solution for insurances (front-end and distribution).

    More information there about Skye™.

     

    2nd HD video from Saint Barth – Villa Ella

    As mentioned in this post, I am publishing some HD video (720p, i.e. a 1280×720 resolution) on SmugMug.

    Below, the second one (embedded in DVD quality). Topic is still Saint Barth, this time, with some views of the villa we were in, and the fantastic panoramic views on the Saint Barth airport and the Saint Jean Bay.

    You should also have a look at the high-res version here.

    http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2008120101.swf

    Some other new HD videos to be published in the coming days!

    International IT market is resisting the downturn

    via EITO

    Despite the weakness in the international economy, demand for information technology (IT) will continue to increase in the coming year. According to the new forecast of the international market research institute EITO, turnover of computers, software and IT services in Western Europe will increase by 2 percent in 2009, to a round 315 billion Euro. “IT expenditure of businesses will continue to grow even in an economic recession”, said EITO chairman Bruno Lamborghini. “Information technology is of strategic importance for companies in a crisis situation because it makes operations more efficient and more economic.” Increasing demand for IT was also to be expected from contractors working in the public sector, where investment has limited dependence on economic fluctuations. According to the latest forecast, providers of software and IT services in Western Europe will achieve a substantial increase in turnover of 3.2 percent in the coming year, to 228 billion. In comparison, manufacturers of IT hardware are facing a loss of 1.3 percent, to 87 billion Euro.

    The EITO market researchers are expecting development of the IT market in Western Europe, which includes the 15 core countries of the EU with the addition of Switzerland and Norway, to be more robust than in the USA. IT turnover in the United States is forecast to grow by 0.8 percent to 347 billion Euro. Before the global financial crisis became more acute, EITO was assuming growth of the IT market at a level of 4.4 percent in the USA.

    The global IT market for the year 2009 will grow, according to the EITO forecast, by 2.7 percent to 983 billion Euro. As in Europe, suppliers of software and IT services around the world are growing particularly strongly. Their turnover world-wide is forecast to grow by 3.4 percent to 677 billion Euro in the coming year. The hardware market is increasing by 1.3 percent to 305 billion Euro. The driving forces are emerging markets like China, India and Russia, which still have some ground to make up in developing their IT infrastructure.

    So, summarized, concerning turnover forecast for 2009

    • Worldwide:
      • Overall: +2.7%
      • Software and IT services: +3.4%
      • IT Hardware: +1.3%
    • Western Europe (15 EU countries, Switzerland, Norway)
      • Overall: +2.0%
      • Software and IT services: +3.2%
      • IT Hardware: –1.3%
    • USA:
      • Overall: +0.8%
    • Western Europe more robust than in the USA
    • Driving forces internationally: China, India, Russia (generally speaking: emerging markets)

    Innoveo – A real life example of productive SOA solutions

    soa for dummies

    Two years ago a first version of the publication “Service Oriented Architecture for Dummies” has been published. Therein our reference customer, the Helvetia Insurance Group, was mentioned together with the solution we have successfully put in place for them.

    In the second, reviewed edition, Innoveo has been dedicated again one full chapter of the book. Still our solution is considered to be a practical, state of the art example of how SOA can work in real life, creating both, an enhanced efficiency and cost optimization on the IT side as well as real business benefits on the customer side.

    We are proud of having been selected by Judith Hurwitz for her book and we wish Judith again an amazing success with this new publication.

    Find more information about the book on Judith Hurwitz’s Weblog. Judith is one of the authors and we’ve had the pleasure to be directly in contact with her to discuss the content and the progresses we’ve made in the time between the first and the second edition.

    You can order the book at Amazon.com.

    Get additional information about our consulting services and our insurance frontend solution Innoveo Skye™ by visiting our company website.

    cross-posted as Innoveo News.

    Defining goals is a pain in the neck, BUT…

    via Seth Godin

    A good one, to (re)start properly the new year with some inspiring quotes from Seth!

    Having goals is a pain in the neck.

    If you don’t have a goal (a corporate goal, a market share goal, a personal career goal, an athletic goal…) then you can just do your best. You can take what comes. You can reprioritize on a regular basis. If you don’t have a goal, you never have to worry about missing it. If you don’t have a goal you don’t need nearly as many excuses, either.

    Not having a goal lets you make a ruckus, or have more fun, or spend time doing what matters right now, which is, after all, the moment in which you are living.

    The thing about goals is that living without them is a lot more fun, in the short run.

    It seems to me, though, that the people who get things done, who lead, who grow and who make an impact… those people have goals.

    Vincent Laforet is just great!

    via Marc Silber

    Marc Silber, who is regularly bringing very interesting information and inputs concerning photography and visuals (his blog, his portfolio, his press-room), has posted a link to a video from Vincent Laforet.

    I haven’t known the work of Vincent before and … what for a visual shock! This is a MUST-HAVE-SEEN to my mind. Very innovative, fresh, emotional, and just beautiful at the end.

    “Waiting for the swell”

     

    http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2008120101.swf

    The absolute must-seen HD (720p) version

     

    “Taking off”

     

    http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2008120101.swf

    The absolute must-seen HD (720p) version

     

    Who is Vincent Laforet

     

    From his blog, impressive bio!

    Vincent Laforet is a New York based commercial and editorial photographer who is regularly commissioned to work on a variety of fine art, advertising, corporate and editorial projects. His approach to aerial photography has been singled out as one of the most unique and interpretive amongst photographers today.

    At the age of 33, his work has been published in most major publications around the world and he has been sent on assignment by Vanity Fair, The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek, and Life Magazine. In 2006, Laforet modified his staff position at The New York Times to become The Times’ first national contract photographer. 

    Vincent’s fine art prints are exhibited in galleries internationally including the International Center of Photography in New York City, and Visa Pour L’Image in Perpignan, and are part of numerous private collections.

    Vincent was recognized as one of the “100 Most Influential People in Photography” by American Photo Magazine in 2005 and was named one of the “30 photographers to watch under 30″ by PDN in 2002. He and four other photographers were awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Feature Photography for their post-9/11 coverage overseas in 2002. His work has been recognized in the Communication Arts Annual, PDN Annual, The SPD Magazine Cover of the Year, The World Press Photo Awards, The Pictures of the Year Competition, The Overseas Press Club, The National Headliners Awards, The Pro-Football Hall of Fame. Vincent is a Canon Explorer of Light and Canon Printmaster and serves as consultant to companies such as Apple, Bogen, Lexar, and X-Rite.  He and his work have been profiled on CNN and Good Morning America.

    Vincent has been invited as a keynote speaker by a variety of organizations and universities from around the world. He has served as an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and the International Center of Photography. Vincent is represented by the Stockland Martel Agency. He resides in Manhattan with his wife, Amber, and son, Noah.

    What you should look at

     

    A lot of great visual material are available online on the portfolio website of Vincent Laforet.

    Have a look, for example, at the Paniolo cowboys Hawaii in the Adventure section, or at the Golf digest in the Sports section.

    Firefox Add-on – ScrapBook

    I am not using so many Firefox Add-ons but this one – ScrapBook – is just great!

    You can download it here.

    What is ScrapBook

    ScrapBook is a Firefox extension, which helps you to save Web pages and manage the collection. Key features are lightness, speed, accuracy and multi-language support.

    Functionalities

    Major features are:

    Good tutorial here (pdf, 692KB)

    Screenshot

     

    scrapbook