Borland Brings .NET, J2EE Closer

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In the ongoing effort among software developers to bridge the gap between
the .NET and J2EE languages, Borland
Software this week unveiled a tool for development
teams to build applications for the Microsoft .NET Framework that are
integrated with software based on J2EE and CORBA languages.

The J2EE/CORBA tool for writing applications for .NET, called Janeva, helps
developers create software for the vaunted Microsoft platform minus the need
for other skills, new infrastructure, or changes to back-end systems. This
lets enterprises bring applications to life faster at a time when speed and
efficiency in application lifecycles is paramount.

From a cost savings standpoint, businesses can also use the J2EE and CORBA
software they had to craft new systems based on .NET. Ultimately, businesses
can satisfy more customers because they can offer choices. Janeva supports
all .NET-based languages, including C#, J#, Delphi and Microsoft Visual
Studio .NET.

Borland is largely recognized as the last major, free-standing software
development tools vendor, and has been racing Rational Software and others to produce software that allows .NET and Java to work together to satisfy
both large installed developer bases. Borland also competes with the likes of Microsoft, IBM and Oracle in the market to bring development tools to software engineers, and it inked an agreement to license the Windows .NET Framework SDK in January.

The excitement in the software development tools space is linked to the heavy hype of Web services and the push is on for large software providers to propel the creation of applications for that niche, which developers can write using the .NET framework and Java.

Jim Duggan, vice president and research area leader of applications
development practice at Gartner, said Janeva highlights Borland’s
integration efforts with its TogetherSoft and Starbase purchases. He also
said it is an important step in its ongoing competition with Rational
Software, a major rival snapped up by IBM last year.

“The timing is significant because Rational is not the neutral party it was
when Microsoft got on stage with them for the unveiling of .NET,” Duggan
told internetnews.com. “Borland is getting better at selling to the
enterprise and is now selling higher up in the organization.”

Janeva is also tailored to work with the Scots Valley, Calif. firm’s Borland
C# Builder for the Microsoft .NET Framework, the firm’s new independent
development environment for the Microsoft .NET Framework, and Microsoft
Visual Studio .NET 2003. C#Builder is focused on the enterprise and delivers
native support for major databases, such as Oracle 9i and IBM’s DB2.

Borland C#Builder will be available in the summer of 2003, with four
separate editions to accommodate different scales of enterprise size:
C#Builder Architect is priced at $2,499, C#Builder Enterprise at $1,799,
C#Builder Professional at $999 and C#Builder Personal at $69.

Borland also launched Borland Enterprise Server, Team Edition, a J2EE
deployment platform for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that
integrates a company’s application server, database, management, Web server
and Web services. It is available for Windows, Solaris (32-bit) and Linux
platforms and will be available in early June 2003.