Sun this week launched the Sun Developer Network, a support and training network for Java developers using its Sun ONE software stack to build and deploy applications and web services.

The company also launched the Sun One Web Services Platform Developer Edition, for developers to build Java applications and web services based on pre-integrated XML technologies for the Sun One Portal, Application Server Standard Edition, Integration Server and Identity Server.

The announcements, at Web Services Edge Conference in Boston, Massachusets, represent a shuffling of product and strategy. They come as Java vendors attempt to get grassroots developers to buy their vision both against each other and against Microsoft Corp.

BEA has dominated headlines recently by building its own online developer network and support community for enterprise Java programmers, dev2dev, and extending its own XML development environment for Java web services across multiple products.

BEA is positioning itself as a platform vendor, and using dev2dev to tie developers into its WebLogic family of Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) products. Developers are vital to platform vendors because they build applications that add value and attract customers, while developer networks act like a corral that holds their loyalty.

dev2dev provides code samples, training, discounts and echoes Microsoft Corp’s own Developer Network (MSDN) for Windows. MSDN is regarded as the gold standard and was successfully developed by the man now building dev2dev, BEA chief marketing officer Tod Nielsen.

Critics have blamed Sun, the creator of Java, for failing to provide an MSDN-style network for Java that supports developers with training and resources and which could help Java fight Microsoft.

Under the Sun Developer Network, Sun will provide developers with content, training materials, an expanded list of newsgroups and connection with user groups covering web services, and access to Sun’s Java, Windows and Solaris technologies.

However, Sun will link to partners’ pre-existing communities from its existing java.sun.com site rather than provide a one-stop-shop. Unlike dev2dev and MSDN, Developer Network will use Liberty Alliance Project-enabled single sign-in for developers to access partners’ communities.

We don’t own the developers, we share them with partners who have rich content, said software developer marketing and management senior director Mike Bellissimo. He said Sun will shortly make an announcement on partnering in the wireless space.

Senior director of marketing for Java web services and tools Mark Herring said a tiered, subscription-based approach may be taken, but hasn’t been finalized. It will be subscription-based. There will be some element of, ‘if you give us your details you will get more information’, Herring said.

Sun justified Developer Network’s launch as tying in with Project Orion, which synchronizes product release cycles and greatly clarifies upgrade and support options. Bellissimo said the network would help realize the benefits of cost reduction and overall increase productivity.

Also echoing BEA application and web services development technology is Sun One Web Services Platform Developer Edition. The platform integrates previously separately available technologies like XSLT transformation wizards with four servers (see above), the Sun ONE Studio tools suite, Portlet Builder and Connector Builder tools.

Again, BEA recently announced extension of its Workshop development environment, for simplified development of Java web servics, to include WebLogic Portal and Integration, going beyond just WebLogic Server. Workshop automates certain programming commands, so developers do not need to work at the API-level.

Sun will rely on developers’ ability to build Liberty-based applications through inclusion of Identity Server to differentiate its offering from Workshop. That will be the biggest differentiator. We view ID as purely core to web services, so we have baked that in to the platform, while BEA hasn’t, Herring said.

Unlike Workshop, Web Services Platform Developer Edition is for development environment only, not deployment of applications. Sun is promoting the product, which it claimed is valued at $36,495, for $999.

Source: Computerwire