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Portlet API Spec Now Up for Public Review--JSR 168 Released--

Portlet API Spec Now Up for Public Review--JSR 168 Released--
By Joseph Ottinger
Article Rating:
July 21, 2003 09:33 AM EDT
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 11,440
(July 21, 2003) - Sun Microsystems released JSR 168, the Portlet API spec, for public review on Thursday. Along with this, WSRP (Web Services for Remote Portlets) was submitted to OASIS for consideration, and a tentative release date for Sun ONE Portal Server 6.2 was set, coinciding with the finalization of JSR 168.

What does this mean? It means that Portlets are just about complete; the review process for a JSR will last 30 days, which means we can expect the JSR to be a final specification in August or September.

Sun also released a PortletBuilder plugin for the Sun ONE Studio IDE that allows developers to build, run, debug, and deploy portlets, a whitepapers on developing Portlets, including four samples (weather portlet, bookmark portlet, notepad portlet, and a time/date portlet). Sun ONE Portal Server 6.2 will be released around the same time with full support for the Portlet API.

WSRP adds the potential to use remote portlets in a given portal container, such that portlets no longer have to be homed in the same Web application, or even the same server. WSRP support will be included in Sun ONE Portal Server 6.3, tentatively due in 1Q, 2004.

The release of the portlet API can be a huge advantage for Java developers, as it means Java can be used as a true enterprise portal solution without extra hoops, given WSRP's acceptance. When WSRP support is common, Java containers can be used to run portals aggregating content without proxies from multiple servers, distributing load and commoditizing not only the portlets themselves, but the portlet services. Check out the specification and send any comments to jsr-168-interest@sun.com.

Published July 21, 2003 – Reads 11,440
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Joseph Ottinger, formerly editor-in-chief of JDJ (2003-4), is a consultant with Fusion Alliance in Indianapolis and is one of the contributors to the OpenSymphony project.

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Most Recent Comments
Frustrated Developer 07/22/03 02:31:00 PM EDT

I never really cared for crap like this. Been a Developer for a decade and a half and it really pisses me off that companies like Sun and Microsoft want to define boundaries for developers to trap us into their frameworks. I've seen really crappy APIs like JavaMail for instance and even parts of the Java libs that are very pooly implemented. Unfortunately, you get a bunch of unexperienced developers to love these "frameworks" and get the industry trapped into crap like this.

Please keep your crap to yourself... we dont need your guidelines, we are quite capable of implementing applications better than rich controlling companies.
Santiago Gala 07/22/03 03:51:00 AM EDT

We need this. Your company should care about APIs. While I don't think the PortletAPI is the best possible, it implements isolation of components for portals, much like servlets enabled in process CGI-like programs to be independent of the web server.

Or are you planning to write a web server for each web application you write?
Andrew Thompson 07/22/03 07:40:00 PM EDT

Thanks Santiago and thankyou SUN,

Well implimented frameworks are there for us to leverage to make us more efficient at what we do.

The important thing is that the standards are Open and the we have Choice!

At the end of the day we should be purchasing software licences for products that suit our needs and are the best offering in the market, not because they are the Only offering of their type (Ref JBoss - J2EE).

Let the consumers decide.
07/22/03 12:40:00 PM EDT

it's about time, it got finalized, we been hearing about portlets for years...
Frank 07/22/03 01:11:00 AM EDT

Does anybody really need this? I'd like to work for a company that cares whether its developers implement fancy new APIs. Mine couldn't care less if the server was made out of tape and rubber bands as long as it works.