Striking a blow in the battle for the enterprise developer, Sun Microsystems Inc. last week announced the Java Verification Program for the enterprise.
Glen Martin, a senior manager in Suns Java software division, said the programverifies applications to help ensure that they can run on any application server based on Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) technology. Martin said the program also helps customers to differentiate product offerings that can run on different J2EE-compatible application servers.
According to Martin, the Java Verification Program is part of a two-pronged approach Sun has taken to focus on the Java application software market. The first prong came at the JavaOne show last March when Sun announced its Java Application Verification Kit (AVK), targeted at individual developers in corporations and at quality assurance professionals in different organizations. The new Java Verification Program is focused on independent software vendors (ISVs), Martin said.
The Java Verification Program for the enterprise tests the portability of enterprise applications across different implementations of J2EE by leveraging the Java Application Verification Kit for the Enterprise (Java AVK Enterprise), a technology that enables developers to test applications using specific guidelines and rules. Martin said ISVs whose product offerings meet the cross-platform criteria specified in the Java AVK for the Enterprise Handbook will receive the Java Verification certification and display the “Java Verified” brand and logo for their certified product offering after completing a licensing agreement.
Sun said more than 20 companies participated in the Java AVK for the Enterprise beta program earlier this year.
“Customers in todays market have many options for Java technology-based applications and application servers, and they want an added level of assurance that applications can work in a mixed application server environment,” said Tracey Stout, Suns vice president of marketing for Java and XML Software, in a statement. “The Java Verification program is unique in that it enables developers to continue to differentiate their offerings, while providing customers with a way to compare applications built on different Java technology-based products.”