At work, we use both J-Boss and SilverStream enterprise java servers. I got my start on J-Boss so maybe my view of the way things "should" be is a little skewed, but that's just the way things are. I reallyl like the way that J-Boss deploys everything to the filesystem and it's extremely easy to create a DataSource or a MailSession, just by creating an XML file that describes it and drop it into place. With SilverStream, you either have to use the management console and try to figure it out (in the case of a DataSource), or spend 2 hours searching their non-existent help for a MailSession.
I have had the basics working in SS for a while now, pretty much without any problems, but then again, I haven't added any new stuff to it in all that time. But now for the project that I'm supervising, I have to set up a MailSession to handle outgoing emails. Well, it's not just as easy as creating an XML file for that or even find it in the management console. I searched the SS website for an example and was able to find nothing. Eventually, I ended up looking in the DTD's to see if I could find something that had to do with mail. I'll tell you, it's a good thing I learned how to read the DTD's, and that they even exist, or I never would have been able to figure out how to set up the MailSession. And their tech-support is extremely expensive, and we aren't allowed to use it because of that.
And to think, right now work is trying to proove that they can survive without me? No one else there has any where near the experience I have with SS, and my experience is extremely limited. But I have a decent J2EE background. And great resources. (John)
Posted by doug at February 10, 2004 09:20 PMw00t. i'm a resource.
bosses by those stupid management consoles because they think they can work them, so hand the manager tool to your boss and let him do that stuff, and you can stick to your old trusty vi clone of choice. :)
Posted by: john at February 11, 2004 08:40 AMi suppose management consoles wouldn't be quite so bad if they'd run on other platforms. sybase' jaguar manager runs only in jdk 1.1.8. if i try running it on anything else, it bombs. of course, running it on 1.1.8, it bombs when i have my little 3rd-party virtual desktop tool running too. bah! i have to start it before i start my desktops.
most java application management apps i've seen are like that. yourelate's console would completely break its screen layout (squish login fields!) when you'd try to run with some reasonably modern jdk.
Posted by: john at February 11, 2004 08:44 AMbeware of jboss-ities as well. after having implemented jaas on jboss with relative ease, i cursed weblogic for not supporting it as slickly. i sort of came to realize that there was no real requirement in the spec, so they could implement it anyway they like. my jass/jboss success really didn't translate to any other application environment.
jboss people do good things, but you must be diligent to avoid their brand of vendor lock-in. marc fleury and co fancy themselves as ruthless as microsoft.
Posted by: john at February 11, 2004 08:49 AMYeah.. I'm beginning to realize that more and more with different app servers. Like I said, I'm spoiled. And in SS, you can either create the standard XML deployment descriptor or you can simple publish your beans to the server and then use the management console to set up their properties... Talk about time consuming.. Everytime you re-deploy, you would need to set them up again. And I sometimes deploy several times an hour. But hey, SS made it's money because it's "simple to use" for someone who has no clue what they are doing... Those are the people that should not be allowed to touch a computer.
I'm such a l33t3st
Posted by: doug at February 11, 2004 11:45 AMDo what we all do.
Stop using SilverStream. It really sucks!
ray