WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0

Frequently Asked Questions

• What are WebSphere Application Server Feature Packs? Do I have to purchase additional entitlement to install them?
• Why is IBM delivering Web 2.0 capabilities in a WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack?
• What are the business benefits of Web 2.0?
• What are the key technical capabilities being delivered with the WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0?
• How does the WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0 relate to the Ajax for IBM WebSphere Platform early program?
• Why is IBM supporting the Dojo Toolkit 1.1?
• How is Web 2.0 related to Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)?
• How does the WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0 relate to Project Zero (projectzero.org)?
• What is REST and how does it relate to SOAP?
• What is JSON and how does it relate to XML?
• Can the WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0 be used with JSP?
• Can the WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0 be used with JSF?

Q. What are WebSphere Application Server Feature Packs? Do I have to purchase additional entitlement to install them?

A. WebSphere Application Server Feature Packs are optional product extensions that offer targeted, incremental new features and capabilities. The WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0 is licensed at no additional cost given proof of entitlement (PoE) for WebSphere Application Server V6.0, V6.1, V7.0, and WebSphere Application Server Community Edition v2.0 and V2.1.

Q. Why is IBM delivering Web 2.0 capabilities in a WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack?

A. Web 2.0 is a rapidly changing, emerging market space. The WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0 enables IBM to deliver these capabilities to WebSphere Application Server customers as soon as the new features have been developed, rather than waiting for the next WebSphere Application Server release.

Q. What are the business benefits of Web 2.0?

A. Web 2.0 is about connecting people, and making technology efficient for people. Web 2.0 changes the way businesses interact with customers with economic, community and technology impacts. For a comprehensive explanation and list of IBM solutions, please visit the IBM Web 2.0 Goes To Work site at http://www.ibm.com/web20.

Specific Web 2.0 business benefits resulting from adoption of the WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0 include:

• Extends SOA investment through simplified user interfaces and easier to consume protocols, which allow less advanced programmers to reuse SOA assets.

• Improves user satisfaction and productivity for customers, partners, and employees utilizing Web 2.0 rich user experiences.

• Enhances line of business decision making by through combining enterprise data with third-party Web services.

• Decreases IT time to market with next generation Web 2.0 application interfaces.

• Builds a stronger ecosystem by extending enterprise data to customers and partners using easily consumable Web 2.0 style protocols.

Q. What are the key technical capabilities being delivered with the WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0?

A. The key technical capabilities include:

• Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (Ajax) development based on open-source Dojo Toolkit V1.1 with IBM extensions and support.

• Representational State Transfer (REST-like) Web remoting of J2EE assets for efficient consumption by JavaScript.

• JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) libraries for data interchange.

• Web feeds using ATOM and RSS (Really Simple Syndication). Publish web feeds or consume web feeds with Ajax.

• Comet support for pushing events from the server to the web browser using a "publish / subscribe" method and the Bayeux protocol.

Q. How does the WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0 relate to the Ajax for IBM WebSphere Platform early program?

A. The WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0 is the GA-level release of the features in the Ajax for IBM WebSphere Platform early program, as well as some additional features.

Q. Why is IBM supporting the Dojo Toolkit 1.1?

A. Out of the many open-source Ajax toolkits on the market, IBM chose the Dojo Toolkit as its enterprise standard. IBM believes Dojo has the best combination of vision and leadership with a strong community that allows it to execute. Already IBM has incorporated the Dojo Toolkit in many products across the Software Group portfolio.

Q. How is Web 2.0 related to Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)?

A. Web 2.0 extends the reach of SOA using technologies such as Ajax and REST - making it simple for both business users and less advanced programmers to create or remix their own rich applications and to access services through the web. For more information, please see Web 2.0 under the IBM SOA web site

Q. How does the WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0 relate to Project Zero (projectzero.org)?

A. The WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0 contains features that enable WebSphere Application Server customers to extend and enhance J2EE applications with Ajax and other Web 2.0 capabilities. Project Zero is an incubator project designed for the rapid development of situational applications using dynamic scripting languages (PHP or Groovy) and lightweight application assembly. While many of the underlying technologies such as Ajax, JSON and REST are used in both the WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0 and Project Zero, the type of application that the products are designed to build and run are quite different.

Q. What is REST and how does it relate to SOAP?

A. REST or REpresentational State Transfer is a simple method for transmitting data over HTTP. In its purest form, REST is the architectural approach on which the Worldwide Web is based. REST based web services are easily integrated from any platform (JavaScript, PHP, etc.) and are beneficial to Ajax because they’re less processor intensive to programmatically read and interpret in a browser than SOAP based. The Feature Pack for Web 2.0 includes REST-like "Get" and "Post" support for Web remoting J2EE objects, which can make JavaScript consumption of SOAP services more efficient. In addition, the Feature Pack for Web 2.0 includes JavaScript components that abstract out the complexities of consuming SOAP directly from JavaScript.

Q. What is JSON and how does it relate to XML?

A. JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) is a method of serializing data to be transferred over HTTP between server and browser. JSON is an alternative to XML, but has been shown to increase Ajax application performance because it requires very little processor overhead for JavaScript to consume.

Q. Can the WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0 be used with JSP?

A. Yes, the WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0 will work within JSP. The "Plants By WebSphere" sample application demonstrates a traditional J2EE Web application using JSP where the user interface has been transformed into a rich Web 2.0 application while maintaining its core J2EE underpinnings.

Q. Can the WebSphere Application Server Feature Pack for Web 2.0 be used with JSF?

A. Many available JSF libraries include JavaScript capabilities. As a result, JavaScript namespace conflicts may exist between JSF widget specific JavaScript and the Dojo Toolkit. The OpenAjax Alliance, of which IBM is an active member, is working to solve this problem through the OpenAjax hub. Currently, the Dojo Toolkit included with the Feature Pack for Web 2.0 is OpenAjax compliant and may work with OpenAjax-compliant JSF widget libraries.

In the mean time, IBM customers may continue to use IBM JWL as a JSF framework with existing support for many Ajax use cases. For more information on building Ajax applications with JWL and IBM Rational Application Developer (RAD), please see the DeveloperWorks article "JSF and Ajax: Web 2.0 application made easy with Rational Application Developer V7".