Draft Proposal for Davos

Proposal

This project will provide a focus for a community for the development of Service Data Objects (SDO) in Java. It will provide an environment where SDO specifications can be implemented and tested, and where innovation may be explored and fed back to future specification efforts.

Rationale

New specifications for SDO are being created, and there are more innovative things that can be done to further the SDO concepts. This proposal is to create a project of its own for SDO Java in order that it can attract and build on the existing SDO Java community, currently in Apache Tuscany, and to expand its horizons to take on activities such as the creation of the Reference Implementation and TCK for JSR 235. SDO is somewhat hidden in the Tuscany project by being alongside SCA and DAS; both of these are users of SDO, and could clearly remain so after the technology becomes available from Davos. Having a project of its own would make the experience for new participants in Apache SDO development, for example SDO spec group participants, easier. A case in point being the ability to easily identify relevant mailing list postings, JIRAs, and commit notifications from within the large volume of other email traffic currently mixed in with the other Tuscany sub-projects.

Initial Goals

To implement the SDO specification resulting from JSR 235, providing the code base for a reference implementation and Technology Compliance Kit for that JSR. To bring the SDO Java community currently existing as a sub-project within Apache Tuscany to this new stand alone project.

Current Status

The Tuscany community are in the process of voting to remove explicit reference to SDO from its draft charter [finish this once the vote is finished] on the understanding that if Davos is successful in entering incubation, the Apache home for SDO Java development will be in Davos.

BEA has code that would like to donate as the seed for the JSR 235 RI. IBM has code that would like to donate as the seed for the JSR 235 TCK.

We are not certain of the destination PMC at the current time. We believe that the emerging Apache community will decide once the choices become more clear. As such, we are requesting that the incubator PMC accept the podling and support it as an incubator project.

Meritocracy

We plan to do everything possible to encourage an environment that supports a meritocracy. The proposers have significant experience and track record of encouraging community participation.

Community

The JSR 235 Expert Group contains a significant proportion of individuals experienced with working in open source, and in particular within Apache. The existing Tuscany SDO Java community have been polled, and in general were in favour of having a new single project for SDO Java development. We will endeavour to ensure that all who come to the project are helped to understand the Apache way.

Initial Developers

The initial developers are a small set of experienced open source developers and contributors, including 3 Apache Committers: Cezar Andrei, Radu Preotiuc-Pietro, Kelvin Goodson. David Adcox and Wing Yew Poon are experienced contributors to Apache.

Alignment

The existing BEA code has a dependency on XMLBeans. There is scope for future integration within web services related projects such as Axis and Geronimo. The Tuscany Java SDO code has a dependency on Eclipse EMF.

Known Risks

Orphaned products

The contributors are leading vendors in this space. There is no risk of any of the usual warning signs of orphaned or abandoned code.

Inexperience with open source

Many of the committers have experience working in open source projects and several have significant experience at Apache.

Homogenous developers

The small set of five initial developers are employed by two employers. However, with our stated intention of doing all we can to promote a meritocracy and we expect that those who are interested in JSR235 will join Davos and help to create a more diverse, active community.

Reliance on salaried developers

The initial set of developers are salaried to work in this area. However, we expect that this effort to create the RI and TCK for JSR 235 will attract users and members of the JSR expert group to help create a strong and diverse community. .

Relationships with Other Apache Products

Apache Tuscany is focused on providing a complete SOA solution (i.e., service composition using SCA) in Java and in C++, where SDO is only one of many possible data binding technologies that can be used. An important goal of Tuscany is to support many different such binding technologies and implementations - this includes multiple versions and even implementations of SDO. The Davos incubator project will provide an environment where developers can focus on the implementation of the SDO Java.

An excessive fascination with the Apache brand

Apache seems like a natural and neutral home for this activity and was chosen because of the people involved and the emphasis on collaboration. However, SDO has significant existing cross industry support and the backing of the JCP. We foresee the prospect of this project liaising with other Apache projects such as Geronimo, Axis2 and Tuscany in the future.

Documentation

The SDO Java 2.1 specification is here http://www.osoa.org/download/attachments/36/Java-SDO-Spec-v2.1.0-FINAL.pdf?version=1 The JSR 235 home page is here …. http://jcp.org/en/jsr/detail?id=235 The existing Apache Tuscany SDO Java is described here http://incubator.apache.org/tuscany/sdo-java.html

Initial Source

The initial JSR 235 reference implementation code base is a donation from BEA Systems. The JSR 235 test suite for the TCK is a donation from IBM. In bringing the SDO Java community from Tuscany, it is likely that development of the existing Tuscany SDO Java source may be brought into Davos as a parallel implementation to the initial donation from BEA. The community will decide by its actions how these code bases develop.

Source and Intellectual Property Submission Plan

The two submissions can be made independently, and the fact that the implementation and test suite are guided by a specification means the submission process is uncomplicated.

External Dependencies

XMLBeans, Stax and Ant - all are under Apache compatible licenses. Apache Tuscany's SDO Java depends on Eclipse EMF.

Cryptography

Not applicable

Required Resources

mailing list(s)

davos-pmc for private PMC discussions (with moderated subscriptions) davos-dev davos-commits davos-user

Subversion repositories

https://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/incubator/davos

Issue Tracking

JIRA Davos

Initial Committers

Cezar Andrei, Radu Preotiuc-Pietro and Wing Yew from BEA Kelvin Goodson and David Adcox from IBM

Sponsors

Champion

Ant Elder

Nominated Mentors

(Request input from Apache community)

Sponsoring Entity

The Apache Incubator