Rational Introduces Web "bridgeware"

By Bernard Cole
iApplianceWeb
(02/09/02, 01:33:22 PM EDT)

Rational Software Inc. (Cupertiono,Ca.) has joined a small coterie of Web services "bridgeware" software tool vendors with a new Universal Modeling Language (UML) design environment that allows development using Microsoft's.NET, Sun's Java/J2EE, or the Eclipse.org open source IDE supported by IBM.

The new bridgeware tool set, called XDE Professional v2002, allows developers to code and design directly in their IDE -- Microsoft Visual Studio .NET or IBM WebSphere Studio Application Developer -- without switching between different, loosely-integrated tools. The new offering also includes the IBM Eclipse IDE, which provides a Java development environment to developers who are not committed to a particular Java IDE.

According to senior Garner analyst Mark Driver, the development of such bridgeware products is critical to growth of viable Web Services marketplace, which has shown signs of fragmenting. On one side is Microsoft with its recently into an essentially Java-less one built around Microsoft Corp.'s desktop centric .NET and on the other vendors such as Sun and IBM who have frameworks built around the use of XML and Java.

"Today, the bulk of independent software vendors (ISVs), systems integrators and in-house developers have consolidated their development efforts around Microsoft or Java platforms," he said. "While Microsoft and Java technologies are becoming de facto choices for the vast majority of new e-business initiatives, Gartner believes that neither platform will dominate these markets through 2006."

Instead, most large enterprises, whether building thin client, desktop, or server applications will continue to deploy using either Microsoft and Java technologies. "Developers working on either platform will be faced with challenges and opportunities for which they will need new skills, best practices and integrated development tools to capitalize on these technologies."

To allow developers to bridge the gap, Rational XDE Professional, incorporates a number of features that automate development in either environment. At the core is the comoany's Instant UML tool, which allows developers to conceptualize and define the structure of the software solution through UML visualization and documentation support, forward and reverse Engineering. It also incorporates a customizable pattern engine that provides 80 patterns, as well as allowing design teams to create their own customized patterns from known good solutions to common problems, accelerating application development.

These and other features work in conjunction with either of two new, lightweight developer-focused Rational Unified Process configurations, one for Microsoft .NET and one for Java, that allow easy integration with other Rational UML tools including RequisitePro, AnalystStudio, DevelopmentStudio and Rational ClearCase, a defect and change monitoring program.

Pricing for the new UML-based bridgware tools are on a per user license basis: $2,995 for Rational XDE Professional v2002: Java Platform Edition; $2,995 for Rational XDE Professional v2002: Microsoft .NET Edition; and $4,195 for Rational XDE Professional v2002 Plus, which integrates both .NET and Java functionality.

Rational XDE Professional v2002 will be made available at no charge to all users of Rational Rose Enterprise, Rational Suite Development Studio, and Rational Suite Enterprise with an active support contract, as this represents a significant upgrade to a user's license. Rational Rose models can be imported directly into Rational XDE Professional v2002. More information at http://www.rational.com/news/xde/index.jsp.