Posts Tagged ‘portal’

What is eXo Platform 3.0? (Part 4)

Monday, September 20th, 2010

Today, I am proud to announce the release of eXo Platform 3.0. In preparation for this big day, I have blogged over the last week about what eXo Platform 3.0 is to show the breadth of the product: portal foundation, social intranet and integrated web content management.

But to me the most exciting definition of eXo Platform 3.0 is as a powerful, modern application development platform. I like to think it is the platform that will make Java relevant again in this Web 2.0 world where dynamic languages like Ruby and PHP rule. Now Java can stand as a first-class language for Web 2.0 applications.

What really sets eXo Platform 3.0 apart is its REST architecture. Any portal can present third-party application data as portlets, but eXo offers advanced integration using web services to actually communicate and interact with applications. You can integrate third-party apps, whether they’re written in Java, .NET, PHP or any other language, with eXo Platform’s native APIs.

But more importantly, you can create custom REST APIs on the fly — and deploy them directly from the platform. This means unlimited extensibility; with the custom APIs, you can build as many extensions as you need. eXo Platform provides a standard way to develop these JAX-RS REST services, with development, testing and deployment all done online in a new web-based IDE. Besides REST services, this IDE lets you rapidly build applications, JavaScript files, Groovy scripts, gadgets and mashups.

It’s this architecture that lets eXo integrate easily with third-party apps. In fact, at Java One this week, we will be demoing how a simple plug-in can social-enable an enterprise application, in this case Jaspersoft’s Business Intelligence (BI) software. One of the immediate benefits of such an integration would be the automated syndication of BI events and user interactions in activity streams, enabling users to see relevant information for new and modified reports in real time. Salesforce.com got a lot of buzz for Chatter. eXo lets any app get the same “Chatter” features — without having to build it themselves.

We’ve also modularized eXo Platform 3.0, with a new mechanism using will make upgrading to future versions almost effortless.

What all these features amount to is a systematic way to build rich Java apps with content management, collaboration, social and knowledge. I invite you to go under the hood with me in these online video demos — a short intro (8 min) and a more in-depth tour (30 min). We’re also offering a 30-day evaluation subscription that includes support tickets, so download and give it a try.

eXo Delivers First User Experience Platform for Java

Monday, September 20th, 2010

eXo Platform 3.0 marks the future of Java application development: enterprise content management, collaboration, social and rich UI with enterprise portal capabilities

JAVA ONE (BOOTH #5209), SAN FRANCISCO, CA (September 20, 2010) – eXo today delivered the next generation of its flagship product, eXo Platform 3.0. Architected on the new GateIn portal framework, eXo Platform 3.0 offers the first integrated environment for building modern Java applications with features such as content management, collaboration and social. The product’s features will be showcased this week at Java One (booth #5209).

Why Use eXo Platform 3.0

Enterprises have invested millions in their Java infrastructure, but now those applications are beginning to show their age, especially when compared to the user experience and collaboration driven by the consumer web. End users of Java applications are demanding more than most Java shops can deliver in terms of collaboration, personalization and dynamic content.

“Until now, Java developers have been cobbling together a wide range of ‘best of breed’ software for content management, collaboration or social into their Java systems — because their only other option has been SharePoint,” said Benjamin Mestrallet, founder and CEO of eXo. “You shouldn’t have to throw out our Java investments to get these capabilities. With eXo Platform 3.0, Java enterprises now have a user experience platform for building modern Java apps with rich, interactive and social features — all in a modular architecture that developers are used to.”

eXo Platform 3.0 runs on standard Java middleware, but leverages REST services, Groovy, JavaScript, mashups and gadget-based development to build user-centric Java applications.

What You Can Do with eXo Platform 3.0

eXo Platform 3.0 offers all the capabilities expected of an enterprise portal. It leverages GateIn, the portal framework that eXo co-develops with Red Hat, to build portal-based applications complete with features like access control and single sign-on (SSO) for security.

But eXo Platform 3.0 goes well beyond an enterprise portal to provide:

  • A social intranet: Build an intranet by turning an LDAP directory into an enterprise social network where employees can connect and interact; teams can collaborate in their own online work spaces; and real-time updates and relevant information can be published in activity streams to the right people.
  • An integrated web content management (WCM) system: Quickly build and launch dynamic web 2.0 websites with a full suite of tools, including automated workflow for content publishing, version control and templates.
  • An application development platform for modern Java applications: With a REST architecture and native APIs, eXo Platform 3.0 is an extensible framework for building composite applications quickly and easily. eXo Platform 3.0 includes a web-based IDE for building and integrating applications, gadgets and mashups.

Technical Advantages

  • Unlimited extensibility: Create custom REST APIs on the fly to integrate any third party applications — even from .NET, PHP and other programming languages.
  • GateIn extensions: This new mechanism significantly simplifies application development. Developers can augment and customize GateIn’s features using extensions — without the need to modify the underlying GateIn framework itself. Upgrades to future versions will only require artifacts with the modified files.
  • Powerful and scalable content repository: By keeping applications’ structured data in a content repository, eXo Platform 3.0 provides developers with advanced capabilities that are lacking in traditional databases, including versioning, locking and more. IT operations also benefit from a wide range of management and monitoring functions — all provided in a scalable, clusterable architecture optimized for the consumer web.
  • Extensive open standards and protocol support: These include Java Content Repository (JCR), Java Portlet specification (JSR-286), JAX-RS for REST services and Content Management Integration Specification (CMIS). eXo Platform also implements the OpenSocial specification for gadgets and social APIs for People and Activity.

Availability & Support

eXo Platform 3.0 is immediately available for purchase or with a 30-day trial subscription that includes three support tickets. Download eXo Platform 3.0 today.

Online Resources

eXo and Jaspersoft Integrate Collaboration and Business Intelligence

Monday, September 20th, 2010

Companies demonstrate the power of Jaspersoft with eXo Platform’s rich social and collaboration featuress

JAVA ONE (BOOTH #5209), SAN FRANCISCO, CA (September 20, 2010) – eXo eXo, the Java user experience platform company, and Jaspersoft, the world’s most widely deployed business intelligence software, have teamed up to highlight the power of enterprise business intelligence (BI) integrated with rich social and collaboration features. The two companies will be showcasing the combination of Jaspersoft Enterprise with eXo Platform 3.0, announced today, at Java One (booth #5209).

News Highlights

  • The eXo and Jaspersoft interoperability brings new tools for extending BI applications with collaboration workspaces and real-time activity streams — in a social intranet, or as a gadget that can be added to dashboards. Developers can further enhance this integration, while business users have more customization options for their reports and dashboards.
  • eXo Platform can be integrated with Jaspersoft in minutes with a simple, free plug-in, which will be available for download by the end of this month.
  • eXo Platform 3.0 is the first integrated environment for building modern Java applications with features such as content management, collaboration and social. It is based on open standards and open source, including the GateIn portal framework eXo co-develops with Red Hat.
  • Jaspersoft Enterprise is a high-performance business intelligence solution that can be deployed as either a stand-alone or embedded application, providing easy to use web based reports, dashboards, and data analysis capabilities.

Collaboration + BI Together Deliver:

  • BI Events in Activity Streams: Automatically syndicate JasperReports events and user interactions in activity streams, enabling users to see relevant information, such as newly available or modified reports, in real-time.
  • Single View Analysis of Multiple Activity Streams: Developers can mashup activity streams from several third-party applications with eXo, then analyze the social data captured over time in a single report from Jaspersoft. This reduces the need for multiple reports, and also provides analysis of separate but related data sources.
  • Gadgets and Dashboards: Developers can quickly build gadgets to display their BI activity streams, which can be displayed in any OpenSocial-supported dashboard, from an enterprise intranet to iGoogle.

Supporting Quotes

Benjamin Mestrallet, founder and CEO of eXo: “eXo just rolled out eXo Platform 3.0 today, and we could not have a better way to demonstrate its capabilities than in this interoperability with Jaspersoft. By social-enabling their enterprise BI application to push out real-time information, eXo Platform 3.0 can provide enhanced collaboration for BI developers — while the ability to report on historical content and activity streams shows how easy it is to extend and connect with eXo.”

Brian Gentile, CEO of Jaspersoft: “eXo recognizes Jaspersoft as the best-in-breed BI provider by choosing to demonstrate the extensibility of eXo Platform by interoperating with Jaspersoft’s enterprise BI application. This collaboration shows the power of these two open platforms to solve customer needs and deliver updates to decision makers as they happen.”

Online Resources

  • More information about the eXo-Jaspersoft interoperability effort
  • Video: demo of eXo and Jaspersoft integration
  • Video: example of multiple activity streams mashed up to create a single developer dashboard

eXo Accelerates Modern Java Application Development with Early Adopter Program

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Customers can begin prototyping modern Java applications for the forthcoming eXo Platform 3.0 through new program

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (July 21, 2010) – eXo today announced the eXo Early Adopter Program designed to give Java enterprises access to the training and technical resources they need to begin rolling out cutting-edge, rich Java applications built on eXo Platform 3.0. The company’s much-anticipated flagship offer, planned for general availability by the end of the year, has been re-architected with the fast, modern portal framework co-developed by eXo and Red Hat, GateIn.

In recent months, eXo has delivered new and updated community versions of all the key components in eXo Platform 3.0 to run on GateIn 3.0: eXo Social, eXo Content, eXo Collaboration and eXo Knowledge. The Early Adopter Program goes beyond a beta program, and instead offers eXo’s most innovative customers and other Java enterprises a realistic path to modernizing their legacy Java applications.

The training and developer support offered through the Early Adopter Program is designed to help developers begin prototyping a new breed of rich, interactive, social Java applications that can run popular Java environments such as JBoss, Spring, Tomcat or IBM WebSphere. Applications developed today will be compatible with the GA release. These services will be delivered by eXo’s technical product leaders.

Program Details

  • Early access to all updates between now and final GA.
  • Three-hour web-based trainings on all eXo components comprising eXo Platform 3.0.
  • One-year Developer Subscriptions, giving users support on community and beta releases.
  • Discounts on eXo Platform 3.0 Production Subscriptions down the road.
  • Participation in the Early Adopter Program is a one-time $5,000 fee, which can be applied to the future purchase of a Production Subscription.

Supporting Quotes

Benjamin Mestrallet, founder and CEO of eXo: “The enthusiasm we’re seeing for eXo Platform 3.0, even in this early stage, validates the heavy investment we’ve made to deliver the best user experience platform on the market for Java enterprises. The Early Adopter Program, which we initially opened to select customers, has been so well received that we’re opening it up to more enterprises looking for a ‘SharePoint’ of their own that would work with their existing Java systems and make the most of their Java talent. This program puts the power of the eXo Platform in developers’ hands, with a practical roadmap to get them from design and development to production.”

Online Resources

eXo Webinar: How to Add Social Publishing to Portal-Based Applications

Monday, June 28th, 2010

GateIn, the open source portal framework developed by eXo and Red Hat, provides a foundation for developers to build and deploy portal-based applications. By adding Web Content Management (WCM) functionality and gadgets, these applications can be extended to allow end users to create and publish their own content, without having to know the inner workings of the portal infrastructure.

Developers can easily gain these capabilities with eXo WCM, which is tuned and optimized for the GateIn portal framework. Together, eXo WCM and GateIn can be used as a platform for integrating applications as well as managing and publishing content – all from a single, familiar console.

Join Benjamin Paillereau, product manager of eXo WCM, as he demonstrates how to get native WCM features inside GateIn. Sample use case scenarios and a live demo will also be provided.

Through the presentation and demo, attendees will learn:

  • How to set up a workflow process for getting content created, edited, approved and published
  • How to customize this workflow for the unique needs of the content author, the publisher and the site visitor
  • How to create a simple portlet to take advantage of extended publication features
  • How to extend the publication process with UIExtension Framework
  • How to use REST services to add authoring to a personal dashboard

Live eXo Webinar, Wednesday 7 July, 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm GMT, register you seat now!