JBoss, Inc. Introduces JBoss jBPM; JBoss Middleware Platform Expands with Addition of Popular jBpm Project

Business Wire, Oct 18, 2004

ATLANTA -- JBoss(R), Inc., the Professional Open Source company, today introduced JBoss jBPM, a powerful workflow engine, formerly known as the Java Business Process Management (jBpm) project. Tom Baeyens, founder and lead developer of jBpm, joins JBoss as a full-time architect and will oversee the evolution of the product. JBoss jBPM is a critical piece of the JBoss Middleware Platform and will be used in other JBoss projects to provide more advanced solutions. In addition, JBoss is unveiling a significant upgrade to the workflow engine. jBpm 1.0 has been shipping for a year, and JBoss jBPM 2.0 represents a major step forward in functionality.

With the resources and commercial reach of JBoss behind it, JBoss jBPM can now capitalize on its technical strengths and popularity to become the de facto standard in today's fragmented BPM market. Like all federated JBoss Professional Open Source middleware, including Hibernate and Tomcat, JBoss jBPM is a standalone product. It can be deployed on its own or with any J2EE application server. Strategically, JBoss jBPM represents a foundation element of the JBoss Middleware Platform. JBoss jBPM 2.0 is immediately available for download under the business-friendly Lesser General Public License (LGPL).

"The Professional Open Source model pioneered by JBoss, Inc. is proving to be a disruptive software model, first in the application server space and now in business process management," said Marc Fleury, chairman and CEO of JBoss, Inc. "JBoss jBPM signifies another major step for JBoss, as we continue to build out a complete open source middleware platform of loosely-coupled projects--all backed by enterprise-grade services and support. JBoss is in the business of making open source a safe choice for the enterprise, and as we expand, we are delivering more alternatives than ever to companies looking for innovative and cost-effective software."

The JBoss jBPM approach to workflow focuses on the capabilities of the core BPM engine. The JBoss jBPM 2.0 engine is designed with two main principles. First, it provides a very simple mechanism to start with a simple state machine, making it easy for Java developers to bundle JBoss jBPM into their projects. Secondly, it is designed to scale to the most complex workflow patterns. In fact, JBoss jBPM will be the first BPM engine to support comprehensively the workflow patterns common across all commercial products, enabling it to be used in the most complex Java applications. Moreover, the engine uses the powerful, native jBPM Process Definition Language (JPDL), which was designed from the ground up with the ability to support any standard or specification that exists today or may emerge, including BPEL, BPELJ, BPML, BPSS, ebXML, WSCI and XPDL.

"jBpm has gained tremendous traction since the project's start more than two years ago, but our success has also made support and services an often challenging task," said Baeyens. "With JBoss behind us, we have the opportunity to take jBpm, now JBoss jBPM, to the next stage of growth and provide a full range of services and support around it. The JBoss Professional Open Source model enables me to continue working on the project I started, implement the vision I have for it and cement its position as the leading open source workflow management system on the market."

Baeyens started the jBpm project in March 2002 and released v1.0 in December 2003. Inspired by extensive research in process modelling, he designed the jBpm workflow engine with an extensible architecture. He is active in the JSR207 Expert Group (Process Definition for Java). Based in Belgium, Baeyens will report to Scott Stark, chief technology officer.

In the coming year, JBoss will be rolling out significant technical updates for JBoss jBPM, taking it from a powerful core workflow engine into an advanced and comprehensive workflow management system. JBoss will add native support for the BPEL specification, which focuses on message exchange and Web services; a graphical workflow designer that integrates with Eclipse; and a process manager featuring Web-based workflow applications and integration with JBoss Nukes, a highly scalable portal framework. JBoss jBPM will also be part of important new initiatives JBoss will be rolling out over the coming year.

Availability

JBoss jBPM 2.0, licensed under the business-friendly LGPL license, is available at www.jboss.com or www.jbpm.org. The LGPL assures that the software and future versions of the software will always remain free. JBoss jBPM is free to download and use regardless of the size of the production deployment. ISVs can embed and distribute JBoss jBPM free of charge and contribute back any changes they make to the source code.

Support & Services

JBoss, Inc. provides a full range of services delivered by the product experts behind JBoss jBPM, including 24x7 professional support, consulting, training and documentation. Support and services are also available through the company's extensive network of JBoss Authorized Service Partners (JASP). For more information, please visit http://www.jboss.com/services/index.>