ObjectWeb to expand intercontinental collaboration

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Xavier MOGHRABI writes “GUANGZHOU, CHINA – MAY 15, 2005 – In the framework of the visit of French Minister Delegate for Industry Patrick Devedjian in China, ObjectWeb, an international consortium dedicated to open-source infrastructure software, and GMRC (Guangzhou Middleware Research Center), a leading Chinese research institute on middleware, today signed a memorandum of understanding to ensure the sustainable development of ObjectWeb and promote the adoption of open-source software by governmental organizations, technology providers and academia in China.

  China and France announced their decision to leverage open-source software to expand Sino- French scientific and industrial cooperation on information technologies. More specifically, the category of software known as middleware was identified as a key enabling technology for development of the information society through services such as e-commerce, e-government and e-learning. Middleware also appears to be a central part of software infrastructures in a number of multi segment industries (e.g. telecommunications) and vertical industries (e.g. finance, transport, automotive, energy).

  ObjectWeb is a not-for-profit consortium co-founded in 2002 by Bull, France Telecom and INRIA to foster development and adoption of next generation open-source middleware in the industry. The consortium today counts over 50 corporate and academic members from three continents and federates a community of thousand individuals from about 80 countries. ObjectWeb was cofounded, is hosted and is represented by INRIA, which is in charge of ObjectWeb development and operations under the supervision of the ObjectWeb board of directors. GMRC is a member of ObjectWeb since December 2004.

  “The open source development model is a global phenomenon,” said Michael Goulde, an analyst with Forrester Research (Cambridge, Massachusetts). “The agreement between GMRC and ObjectWeb is a perfect example of this and will help to expand the resources available to ObjectWeb’s open source developer communities.”

  “ObjectWeb is a trusted and neutral organization that helps industry stakeholders from around the world turn middleware commoditization into an opportunity to unleash their capacity to innovate. We are delighted to see ObjectWeb presence expands in China. We believe GMRC has the perfect profile to represent our interest in this part of the world and we are looking to setup active and long-lasting cooperation with them on open-source middleware,” said Jean- Pierre Laisn, Chairman of ObjectWeb and Linux & Open Source Initiative Manager with Bull. “By increasing its commitment to ObjectWeb’s expansion, GMRC act as a pioneer in this new frontier that middleware is to open-source software.”

  Effective international co-operation is essential to succeed in building the global information society. We believe that the agreement between GMRC and ObjectWeb will be instrumental in developing mutual benefits between China and European middleware marketplaces through open-source, said Hongbo Xu, Deputy Managing Director, GMRC. In this perspective, GMRC has strong support from public authorities such as MOST, MII, MOE, from the academia and from business communities such as China Mobile, China Telecom, TCL-Thompson.

  As ObjectWeb is gaining international momentum as a trusted third-party for open-source middleware, GMRC and INRIA agreed on contributing to actively expand ObjectWeb s presence in China. Both parties will set up the legal framework to ensure the sustainable development of ObjectWeb in China and, beyond, guarantee the quality of the produced software:

  GMRC, as an ObjectWeb member, will:
  – develop ObjectWeb presence and conduct network activities in China
  – actively recruit new ObjectWeb corporate members in China
  – foster the adoption of ObjectWeb platforms in China
  – promote code contributions to ObjectWeb platforms from Chinese partners
  – reinforce scientific cooperation on middleware with France

  INRIA, as ObjectWeb s legal representative, will:
  – grant GMRC the ability to represent ObjectWeb s interests in China
  – actively support GMRC in developing ObjectWeb presence in China
  – provide GMRC with the technical infrastructure for the development of open-source middleware
  – reinforce scientific cooperation on middleware with China
  – set up the legal framework for mainstream adoption of open-source

  GMRC has allocated dedicated full time staff for ObjectWeb related collaboration and market development efforts. GMRC has a dedicated team of 20 researchers and software engineers who work on ObjectWeb technologies and components, including collaboration on the current and future versions of JOnAS, ObjectWeb s J2EE(tm) certified application server, Fractal, JORAM, Lomboz, JMOB/CLIF. C-JDBC, one of the key components of ObjectWeb, is already integrated in Long Teng, the middleware platform from GMRC.

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  About GMRC
  Guangzhou Middleware Research Center (GMRC) is the leading middleware research institute in China. Hosted by South University of Technology, GMRC is a key research platform in Southern China for advanced infrastructure software research and development. GMRC focuses on enterprise application infrastructure, pervasive middleware, RFID middleware, etc. The mission of GMRC is to provide the core technologies required by the Chinese society, and bridging the gap between China and the world in advanced software technologies.
  http://www.middleware.com.cn

  About INRIA
  INRIA, the national institute for research in computer science and control, is dedicated to research in information and communication science and technology (ICST). Throughout its six research units located in nine major regions, the Institute has a workforce of 3,200, 2,400 of whom are scientists from INRIA and its partner organizations. INRIA’s international collaborations result in the welcoming and recruitment of foreign students and extensive research scientist exchanges. The priority is given to geographical areas with a strong economic potential the European research area, Asia and North America while maintaining continuous relations with South America, Africa and the Middle East.
  http://www.inria.fr

  About ObjectWeb
  Founded in 2002 by Bull, France Telecom and INRIA, ObjectWeb is a consortium of leading companies and research organizations from around the world who have joined forces to produce next generation of Open Source Middleware. ObjectWeb’s goal is to provide Real-Time Enterprises with independent solutions which combine quality and robustness at the best possible performance/cost ratio. ObjectWeb targets alternative solutions to proprietary products for e-business, EAI, data connectivity, grid computing, and enterprise messaging. Based on Open Standards, ObjectWeb’s middleware includes application servers, components, frameworks and tools. Examples of ObjectWeb’s “cost killer” middleware are JOnAS – an Open Source implementation of the J2EE(tm) specification, JORAM JMS(tm) – a Message Oriented Middleware and Enhydra – a Java(tm)/XML Application Server.
  http://www.objectweb.org

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  Media contacts:
  François Letellier INRIA / ObjectWeb
  francois.letellier at objectweb.org
  Tel: +33 6 84 64 00 24

  Frigga LEE Guangzhou Middleware Research Center
  xzli at middleware.com.cn
  Tel: +86 20 87 11 42 38

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Link: ObjectWeb.org