lets talk @ weblogic app server -
-supports in memory sesion clustering and database as well
>> You have to hefty bucks for this feature, while WebSphere's architecture supports. No extra cost!
-needs no database to hold configuration.
>> Previously, WLS utilize Cloudscape as config repository. After IBM acquired Informix, it is gone. Have you really played with the crappy config.xml for a long time? I cannot imagine any serious system admin love that.
-web based admin console
>> It is also painful to wait till the
applet is fully loaded in the console. And in WLS there is no cmd line tool provided by BEA to admin WLS. While in WAS AE, XMLConfig/WSCP saves you big effort, especially in enterprise environment you have your routine admin job can be setup with WSCP. BEA provides JMX, so be proficient by yourself to develop the programs.
-easy to deploy/install app
>> Haven't you find BEA's classloader architecture is the worst? And haven't you run into any weird caching issues with their hot deployment feature? In production mode, no customer will accept that. To developer, if the feature works 99% correctly, then it is valuable. Or you will have hard time to figure out how to clean caches.
-support issues can be accessed online, allows you to open ticket online
>> If you enrol PWD program, you can do it also. I am using the Remote Email support, and happy with that so far. Check
www.developer.ibm.com. -I can setup a weblogic environment including a cluster in less than an hour
>> In WebSphere, it is not painless. You are not able to do it in WAS? Please refer to redbook:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redpieces/pdfs/sg246192.pdf -online docs are well organised
>> They are scattered, and no other language version.
-pretty quick in releasing the latest-to-the-spec version.
>> Yeah, IBM WAS 5.0 passed J2EE1.3 CTS ahead of WLS 7.0. So may we call this in the past? And don't forget IBM is leading the whole WebService/JCA spec. That's the next star in whole middleware industry. Then the question is which spec are you talking about?
If you want to list WAS problems, there are issues. But don't reach your conclusion without thoroughly compare all the offerings.