Author: JT Smith
Source model of development, an aggressive move that will enable CYRANO to harness the reliability and robustness of
peer-reviewed code, while extending product lifecycles beyond the initial release. The technology being released to the
Open Source community is OpenSTA (Open System Testing Architecture), a distributed software architecture based on
CORBA. In its first release the product toolset will have the capability of performing HTTP and HTTPS heavy load tests with
performance measurement. CYRANO plans to post the source code beginning with the 0.9.0 developer release, expected by
the end of September 2000.
The Open Source Development Model
In the Open Source Development Model freedom in the availability of the source code and the requirement to share
modifications promotes a longer-term viability of the product. Under the control of the CYRANO Open Source Software
Development Group, OpenSTA development will be a tightly controlled development model. Final say on modifications and
development will be owned by CYRANO.
Several factors were behind the reasoning of embracing this model:
Peer review increases reliability, security and quality
Open Source model increases speed of product development
Rapid response to customer needs in both development and support
Broader market in supporting heterogeneous environments
Support seller model is more in line with current and future customer needs than a per-license/per-seat proprietary
software scheme
“The end result being that everyone equally will have access to a freely distributable testing architecture for web-based
applications, and one which evolves faster than it’s proprietary and commercial counterparts.” said Robert Ernens, Chairman
and CEO of Cyrano. “At Cyrano, we believe that the Open Source model will drive the software industry within a couple of
years, and we are proud to offer our brand new Web load testing technology as a free software. By using it, e-commerce
sites will maximize the expected growth in customer load, and then be reliable and stable enough to produce expected
revenue.”
OpenSTA Licensing
OpenSTATM will be licensed under the GNU GPL (GNU General Public License). This means that everyone has the rights to
use, modify, and redistribute the program’s code or any program derived from it but only if the distribution terms are
unchanged.
Support Seller Model
Around the OpenSTA project, CYRANO will be offering support, consulting and training services, bespoke feature
enhancements, and printed documentation and CD sets. This type of business is known as the Support Seller Model. In this
model, the software remains free and open, while services associated with the source are acquired for a fee.
“Many companies have made objections about implementing Open Source due to the lack of any organized support model.
CYRANO will be offering full support, consulting and training services specifically for OpenSTA.” said Noelle Beaudin
Marketing Product Manager for OpenSTA. “So, you not only get use of a completely open and aggressively evolving tool,
you also get access to a dedicated team to help you support it in your environment. The complete offering will be disclosed
soon.”
Release Dates and Source Repository
The OpenSTA source code and installable have been prepared to operate in a Windows NT 4 or Windows 2000
environment. Plans for porting to all major platforms are in the works. Open Source developers that are interested in
participating in the OpenSTA project will find the source hosted at link before the end of September. Sourceforge.net is
the premier provider of hosting services for on-line Open Source projects.
About CYRANO
CYRANO is a public company
listed on the EuroNM of the
Paris Bourse (Reuters: CYRA.LN, Sicovam 3922). Formed in 1989,
Cyrano is headquartered in Paris, France, with regional headquarters
in the UK and USA.
CYRANO, is one of the world leaders in Web performance, security
and application management. Cyrano competes with Mercury Interactive
(Nasdaq: MERQ), Compuware (Nasdaq: CPWR), Segue (Nasdaq: SEGU) and
Rational Software (Nasdaq: RATL) for web performance testing. For
further information, visit link
OpenSTA is a trademark of Cyrano
Other trademarks, service marks and company names are the
property of their respective owners.
For more information about this press release, please contact
Noelle Beaudin,
Marketing Product Manager for OpenSTATM
