Archive for July, 2011

The Top 5 New Features in eXo Cloud IDE

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

Four months ago we launched cloud-ide.com, the first free online service eXo has ever provided, and its success has been incredible. Our goal: to be the preferred path for developers to Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) deployments.

Today we are unveiling a major upgrade to the service, with more than 75 new features. I would like to show you my top 5 favorites.

1) Git Support

Git popularity is huge and more and more projects use it to manage their source code. Even some PaaS, such as Heroku or Openshift Express, use it as an application deployment paradigm.

Supporting Git in eXo Cloud IDE was clearly our number 1 priority, and we focused on improving the integration we announced in May at Red Hat Summit. Now we support most of the protocol commands, all natively integrated within eXo Cloud IDE.

As you can see in the first screenshot, we support many Git commands that are exposed in a new Git menu in the IDE. It is possible to init or clone a remote repository, add a file to the index, create a branch, add remote repositories and push the code to different branches on different remote repositories! And at every step of the way, you can view the current status of your repo.

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To be able to support private Git repositories, and to communicate with them using the SSH protocol, we have also added the capability to create private and public keys for dedicated domains, and the ability to upload existing private keys and bind them to a domain. In the next screenshots, you can see that I have created 2 private/public keys for the Heroku and GitHub domains, as well as uploaded 2 private keys for Red Hat OpenShift and CloudBees.

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It is also possible to browse the version history of Git repositories, see the changes and who made them!

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2) OpenShift and Heroku Support

The primary goal of eXo Cloud IDE is to be able to develop apps in the cloud, then deploy them to the different PaaS available in the market. With this upgrade, we now support 3 different PaaS, each that has a different deployment model.

For Heroku and OpenShift, we use some REST commands from the PaaS menu (see the next screenshot) to create applications bound to a Git repository.

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Then we use the Git menu to clone and push modifications to this remote repository, such as the OpenShift repo shown in the next screenshot.

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We have announced our Red Hat OpenShift support at Red Hat Summit last month in Boston. You can see the video demonstrating how to deploy to OpenShift here.

3) CloudBees Support

For deploying Java apps to CloudBees RUN@cloud PaaS, we only use Git and the CloudBees DEV@cloud service.

A developer first has to create a Java project in eXo Cloud IDE.  Then he has to init that repository and push the code to the CloudBees Git repository (after having registered its public SSH key in the service). From here, we leverage CloudBees DEV@cloud, which uses Maven and Jenkins to manage both the build of the Java WAR artifacts and the deployment to CloudBees RUN@cloud PaaS.

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4) Java / JSP support

Java is the language of choice for most eXo developers. In the first version of Cloud IDE a developer could write some REST API in Java using the JAX-RS specification. He could also store structured data inside a Java Content Repository (JCR).

With this upgrade, we now also support standard Java classes (Servlets or POJOs) and Java Server Pages (JSP).

As before, every file has some color syntaxing, code completion and outline. The next screenshot shows those features for a JSP page.

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Once the Java and JSP have been written it is possible to deploy them to CloudBees DEV@cloud, which manages the build (it can also manage any unit tests that you add in the Cloud IDE) and the deployment of the generated WAR.

As you can see, you can now create, test and deploy standard Java projects directly in the Cloud.

5) Ruby and PHP Support

With the launch of Red Hat OpenShift Express, we announced support for the Ruby language within eXo Cloud IDE. A developer can quickly create a Ruby file; the IDE provides some color syntaxing, outline and auto completion. A Ruby project can then be deployed to either OpenShift or Heroku, as described previously.

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Red Hat OpenShift also supports the PHP language, so it was a great opportunity for us to add support for this dynamic language to our catalog. And of course, we have some color syntaxing, outline and auto completion.

These are my top 5 favorite new features. I hope you will check out the new and improved Cloud IDE and give us your feedback!

For now, we’re getting back to work – this is just the beginning of a new era.

eXo Cloud IDE First to Support Java, Direct PaaS Deployments for Developers

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

Quick and Easy On-Ramp to PaaS of Choice: CloudBees DEV@cloud and RUN@cloud, Heroku, Red Hat OpenShift

SAN FRANCISCO — July 20, 2011 — eXo, the enterprise Java portal and cloud user experience platform (UXP) company, today announced that eXo Cloud IDE is the first web-based IDE to support Java, extending its support for HTML, JavaScript, Groovy, PHP and Ruby languages. eXo Cloud IDE also offers a quick and easy on-ramp for deploying applications directly to several major Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) including CloudBees, Heroku, and Red Hat OpenShift.

News Highlights

  • About eXo Cloud IDE: Launched in March, eXo Cloud IDE is a multi-tenant, hosted development environment that enables social coding – the collaborative development of applications, gadgets and mashups that can be deployed directly to a PaaS. eXo Cloud IDE is available online at www.cloud-ide.com.
  • Easy On-Ramp to PaaS Deployments: eXo Cloud IDE now includes a drop-down menu for easily deploying applications to Heroku and Red Hat OpenShift PaaS. By leveraging Git repositories, eXo Cloud IDE allows developers to manage, edit and redeploy changes from the PaaS menu. To deploy Java applications to CloudBees, developers build the apps using the CloudBees DEV@cloud service and deploy via the CloudBees RUN@cloud service.
  • Robust IDE Goes Beyond JavaScript: With eXo Cloud IDE, the company goes beyond basic JavaScript to enable rich, functional development of REST services and Ruby, PHP and Java applications.
    • Java/JSP support has been enhanced to include support for standard Java classes (Servlets or POJOs) and Java Server Pages (JSP). Developers can create standard Java projects in the cloud, and also test and deploy those projects directly to the cloud using Maven and Jenkins via CloudBees DEV@cloud capabilities. eXo Cloud IDE continues to let developers write REST APIs in Groovy using the JAX-RS specification and store structured data inside a Java Content Repository.
    • PHP support gives developers another option for writing applications. As with other languages supported by eXo Cloud IDE – including Ruby – every file has color syntaxing, outline and auto code completion.
  • Improved Git Support: eXo Cloud IDE now features a new, easy-to-use Git menu, which natively integrates protocol commands. This gives developers access to Git controls, as well as visibility into the version history of repositories, without ever having to leave the eXo Cloud IDE domain.

Supporting Quotes

  • Sacha Labourey, founder and CEO of CloudBees: “eXo CloudIDE developers can not only deploy their applications to CloudBees RUN@cloud Java PaaS in a snap, but they can also leverage CloudBees DEV@cloud and benefit from Git code repositories, Jenkins-based Continuous Integration and Maven repositories, all nicely integrated. This provides a complete development and runtime environment in the cloud.”
  • Benjamin Mestrallet, eXo founder and CEO: “The primary goal of eXo Cloud IDE is to provide a cloud service where teams of developers can collaborate and build applications in the language they prefer, while also giving them the freedom and flexibility to deploy their applications to the different cloud platforms available in the market. With this announcement, we now support three different PaaS offerings and their distinct deployment models.”

Online Resources

Recent News

eXo lance un programme partenaire étendu pour répondre à la forte demande du marché autour d’eXo Platform 3

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011

L’éditeur accélère son développement et étend son réseau de partenaires intégrateurs avec le déploiement d’un nouveau programme revendeurs et distributeurs à plus grande valeur ajoutée

Paris et San Francisco, le 13 juillet 2011 - eXo, éditeur open source de portails d’entreprise Java et de plate-forme d’expérience utilisateur (UXP) dans le Cloud, annonce aujourd’hui le lancement d’un programme partenaire renforcé pour mieux répondre à la demande croissante et mondiale autour de son produit phare, eXo Platform 3. En s’appuyant sur le succès du programme partenaire dédié aux intégrateurs (IS), la société étend désormais celui-ci aux Revendeurs et Distributeurs en leur fournissant plus de ressources et un support plus conséquent afin de répondre rapidement aux nouvelles opportunités.

« Notre fort engagement auprès de nos partenaires intégrateurs s’est avéré être un élément clé du succès rencontré par notre offre sur le marché », dit Yann Aubry, Vice-Président en charge des Ventes chez eXo. « Aujourd’hui, nous désirons proposer le même niveau de support à nos revendeurs et distributeurs. Nous assurons à tous nos partenaires une formation complète sur eXo Platform 3 afin d’accélérer leur montée en compétence et leur permettre de mieux tirer parti des opportunités qui se présentent pour eXo ».

Les évolutions apportées au programme partenaire (qui a permis de construire une base importante de partenaires Intégrateurs en Europe Occidentale), ont pour but d’étendre la visibilité d’eXo et de renforcer sa capacité à servir de nouveaux clients sur des régions en fort développement comme l’Europe centrale, l’Europe du Nord ou l’Amérique Latine.

La société a d’ores et déjà signé quatre nouveaux partenariats avec :

  • B2B, dorénavant “Authorized Distributor” en Pologne et qui depuis plusieurs années a démontré une excellente capacité à collaborer avec des éditeurs Open Source de premier plan.
  • DoxoLogic : une SSII tchèque qui développe des solutions et services middleware, des outils d’intégration d’applications et de portails d’entreprise.
  • Tendencies : un spécialiste du développement, déploiement et support de solutions de Business Process Management (BPM), eCommerce, et Document Management Systems (DMS).
  • NetAndSoft : une société de conseil et de développement logiciel installée à Québec au Canada, spécialisée dans les processus métiers de l’entreprise.

Le nouveau programme Partenaire inclut :

eXo Meets Rising Demand for eXo Platform 3 with Expanded Partner Program

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011

Company Builds on Successful System Integrator Program with Addition of Value-Added Resellers, Distributors

PARIS and SAN FRANCISCO — July 13, 2011 — eXo, the enterprise Java portal and cloud user experience platform (UXP) company, today announced the expansion of its partner program to better serve growing, worldwide demand for solutions built with eXo Platform 3. Building on the success of the company’s system integrator (SI) partner program in Western Europe, the expanded partner programs arm resellers and distributors with the resources and support to quickly respond to new opportunities.

“Our commitment to our systems integrator partners has proven to be a key element of our overall success in the market,” said Yann Aubry, senior vice president of sales for eXo. “Now, we’re giving resellers/distributors those same tools – this is much more than just a rubber stamp program. We provide all of our partners with the training and enablement for a shorter, easier on-ramp and much faster time to value for eXo deals.”

The changes to the partner program expand eXo’s visibility and capacity to serve customers in new and developing regions such as Central Europe, Latin America and elsewhere. The company has already signed on five new partnerships including:

  • DoxoLogic – a Czech software company providing IT solutions and services for middleware, enterprise application integration and portals.
  • Tendencies – a Brazilian specialist in developing, deploying and supporting tailor-made solutions for order tracking, Business Process Management (BPM), special eCommerce with product configurators, management reports, KPI dashboards and Document Management Systems (DMS).
  • NetAndSoft – a consulting and software development company based in Québec, Canada, specializing in developing, deploying, extending, managing and monitoring business processes for enterprise organizations.
  • Arabideas – a technology company based in Saudi Arabia, providing IT solutions to a wide range of clients across the Arab World for website, intranet and portal projects.
  • B2B – an eXo Authorized Distributor based in Poland, providing best-of-breed open source solutions.

The new partner program includes:

Taking the Headache out of the Vendor Evaluation Process

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

Today we officially announced our new Evaluation Toolkit: Vendor Evaluation Resources for Social Intranet and Enterprise Portal Projects for eXo Platform 3.

If you’re a Java developer or a project manager, you’ve inevitably had to participate in the “vendor evaluation” process at some point: define an upcoming project, list out all the technical requirements, find all the possible vendors that should be considered, then research on each vendor’s website to fill in some type of evaluation spreadsheet. Finding product features, standards supported, lists of customer references – this can be daunting, considering the information can be presented in “marketing speak” or across multiple resources.

Our consultants and engineers often are asked to help partners and prospective customers find the technical information required during the vendor evaluation process. They started to notice that this process was remarkably similar for all customers – regardless of the type of IT project or the vertical industry, geographic location or size of the company. In fact, several eXo consultants worked as systems integrators (IT consulting firms) prior to joining eXo, and they had several of these “vendor evaluation checklist” templates just like what our customers were using.

That got us to thinking… why not make this easier for our developer community? So the idea for the new Evaluation Toolkit was formed. We want to give you another option for quickly and easily finding the information you need about eXo for your upcoming social intranet, company website or enterprise portal project.

The organization of resources in the Evaluation Toolkit is intended to mirror the typical vendor evaluation process:

  • Features & functionality – quickly gather the features of eXo Platform to input into your checklist; find related case studies and tutorials demonstrating how these features can be implemented
  • Technology – find more detailed specs on the standards, environments and languages supported in eXo Platform, the available integration points, and interoperability with 3rd party tools
  • Competence – gain a better understanding of what skills are required of your team to work successfully with eXo Platform, what resources we provide to shorten the on-ramp, and how we work with our partners
  • Customer success – find customer snapshots and references, and what an eXo subscription provides to ensure the success of customer projects

It’s also worth noting that the Evaluation Toolkit site features a new whitepaper detailing a real-life eXo Platform implementation: “The Unexpected Benefits of the Social Enterprise.” We’ll be adding more new resources soon, like performance benchmarks and step-by-step project guides.

Since the Evaluation Toolkit originated from customer and partner feedback, we want to hear what you think. You can check it out here.