uh-oh alert

[Gerry Giese]

Sun is apparently planning to make iPlanet THE reference J2EE implementation. Apparently this is a ploy for market share since they're so dismally far behind. If we have to purchase the reference implementation, and that implmentation is the unfinished and unpolished iPlanet, we're in trouble. If the new 'rewritten' version turns out to be awesome, then no problem, but if things don't get better, this move could hurt Sun and J2EE more than help.
Sun/iPlanet - get your act together! My main gripe is at least get your GUI server tools finished and polished! ksvradmin, deploytool, and several others in their 'suite' (non-integraded) are poorly done and in several instance, NOT done.
I really hate to be an iPlanet basher, but working with this software is driving me nuts. I can't seem to make it 2 or 3 steps without finding something new to stumble over.
Just to explain the latest development, my desktop iAS 6.o SP4 server from the Developer's Pack stopped working last night. Some error occured while the machine was shutting down and when it was booted the iWS didn't start and the services listed it as 'manual' instead of 'automatic'. I switched it back, rebooted, but it didn't fix it. I've tried a number of things, but it looks like I'm going to have to uninstall and reinstall to get working again, since I don't have two weeks to talk to iPlanet Tech Support and wait for a fix, workaround, shrug of the shoulders and "I dunno", or worse, a cold shoulder and no response, like I'm getting now on a database connection problem.
Ok, I'm off my soapbox. I'll be nicer in the future, I promise.

[Mike Curwen]

Gerry, I can relate your frustrations with iPlanet.

I had heard something similar regarding iPlanet and the RI, but transposed. We were discussing it (sort of) here: http://www.javaranch.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=57&t=000058

Have you heard something definate?

[Val Pecaoco]

Hi guys,
It's still a hunch, but I think it's these no-brainer OS's from M$ that makes life difficult for iAS/iWS. Just like my experience with Netscape Navigator: I get a lot of problems with it with Win 98, the mostest being "hangin' when you needed it most" or the "dunno what hit 'em" syndrome as I call it. But when I switch to IE, everything gets fine -- and zippy. Maybe these no-brainer OS's from M$ are smart after all, since they can sense if the software you're running is M$-friendly; if not, they'll squash it by throwing a lot of monkeys on its back that you'll "dunno what hit 'em"!
Ex Animo Java!
-- Val

[faisal mahmood]

iPlanet is not the simplist j2ee app server I have worked so far. If Sun makes it the reference implementation then instead of gaining market share they will probably lose most of it. On the other hand iPlanet will get better from the users' negative comments and suggestions.
Besides iPlanet app server is heavily platform dependant (not like Weblogic or current RI). So, Sun will have to implement it for each platform even a native Mac version
Faisal