Adobe and SpringSource have been working together to create an alliance for developing software for enterprise Java developers who are using Spring framework on the server side and Adobe Flash platform on the client. The integration between the two will be offered for the developers who utilize either LiveCycle  Data Services (LCDS) or BlazeDS.

This is a very interesting development for anyone who’s working on enterprise applications that involve Flex and Java, and I had a short conference call on the with people in the know.
SpringSource was represented by Peter Cooper-Ellis senior vice president of engineering and product management and Jeremy Grelle, senior software engineer, project lead for Spring for Adobe Flex.
From Adobe we’ve had Chris Ethier, group product marketing manager for LiveCycle and Dave Gruber, group product marketing manager for Flex.

I asked, “Even today, Flex developers know how to configure BlazeDS or LCDS to use Spring class factories to access Spring beans via Flex remoting. What else is missing  in this field?”

Here’s the combined answer,
“Yes, today there is a way for Flex developers to find Spring objects, but this is not exactly the way Spring developers do things. They configure beans via context XML configuration files and export them for remoting. Now Flex developers will be able to configure their BlazeDS message broker in the Spring configuration files, export Spring beans and make them available to BlazeDS. The goal is to create the best possible experience for Spring developers who develop UI in Flex.
A new open source project called Spring-BlazeDS Integration will be announced within the next several weeks. The code will become available too.

In March, expect to see the final launch of both open source as well as a commercial offering with deeper integration between Spring and LCDS Data Management Services, which can be considered an addition to today’s LCDS support of JDBC and Hibernate (JTA support is in the works too). Again, developers will be able to take their existing Spring/Hibernate configurations and make them available to LCDS and not the vice versa as it is today. Technically, developers  won’t  need to write JDBC code – they’ll just use Spring-specific implementation of Assembler’s design pattern.”

A part of my day job responsibilities is running Flex training for enterprise Java developers. I can’t remember even one class without someone asking about ways of  integration Flex with Spring and/or Hibernate.  This Adobe-SpringSource project is a good indication that two popular frameworks are live, healthy and keep evolving.

The text of the official press release is below.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — December 8, 2008 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced that it is working with SpringSource to simplify the development and deployment of rich enterprise Java™ applications through a collaboration that will provide integration between the Adobe® Flash® and SpringSource platforms. This collaboration will make it easy for Java developers to create enterprise-class rich Internet applications (RIAs) using Adobe Flex® software, a cornerstone of the Adobe Flash Platform, and Spring, the de facto standard for enterprise Java.

With support from Adobe, SpringSource is introducing Spring BlazeDS Integration, a new open source project to provide tight integration between Spring and BlazeDS, Adobe's open source server-based Java remoting and web messaging technology. A beta version of the Spring BlazeDS Integration will be available from SpringSource in mid-December.
Also in development for early next year is the SpringSource Adapter for Adobe® LiveCycle® Data Services ES™ which will provide integration with Adobe LiveCycle Data Services ES, enabling the creation of server push-based applications based on Adobe Flex for real-time and near
real-time solutions.

The Adobe Flash Platform enables enterprise application developers to rapidly design and develop compelling web applications that run consistently across operating systems and browsers. The interactive and web experience capabilities enable developers to build business-critical applications that help improve user productivity and user acceptance and reduce service desk calls. LiveCycle Data Services ES software is a real time remote and messaging framework that streamlines
the development of RIAs using Adobe Flex software and the Adobe AIR™ runtime by abstracting the complexity required to create data intense server push–based applications.

Quotes:

“Through this collaborative effort with SpringSource, we are bringing more efficiencies and workflow advantages to the Flex and LiveCycle developer communities.. This opportunity opens up new doors for increasing the exchange of information between the platforms, which will provide a better overall user experience and allow more Spring developers to begin accessing the Adobe Flash Platform,” said Kumar Vora, vice president and general manager for LiveCycle at Adobe.

“Adobe and SpringSource share a common interest in providing better interoperability for Spring platform developers who want to optimize their work in the creation of rich Internet applications. Together we have established a plan for better integration among our products, from which SpringSource has introduced two new products to expedite the transfer of Java applications to Adobe Flex, BladeDS and LiveCycle,” said Mitch Ferguson, vice president of business development at SpringSource.

Links:
 Adobe Flex general information: www.adobe.com/products/flex
 Adobe LiveCycle general information: www.adobe.com/products/livecycle
 Adobe LiveCycle blog page: http://blogs.adobe.com/livecycle/
 Adobe: www.adobe.com
SpringSource: www.springsource.com
SpringOne Americas: http://americas.springone.com/conference/hollywood/2008/12/index.html

About Adobe Systems Incorporated
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