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Open source, Apache Axis2-based mashup server will please developers and developer communities, but skinny 1.0 feature set limits enterprise deployment options
Mashups -- or composite applications -- promise the ability to easily create useful new applications from existing services and Web applications. By combining data from multiple sources across the Web, and from within the enterprise, mashups can help distill important information for people who would otherwise need to gather and distill it manually.
A mortgage underwriter verifying an applicant's income is a good example. Underwriters typically work with a long list of Web pages, accessing public data sources to create a montage of the applicant's financial situation. This is a perfect scenario for a mashup.
Composite applications in 2008 are in the "early adopter" phase, with companies exploring their uses and potential in the enterprise. There's no lack of entrants in the field; a quick search turned up at least 20 different mashup platforms, both commercial and open source. Products such as JackBe Presto, Nexaweb Enterprise Web 2.0 Suite, and Kapow's RoboSuite illustrate the range of approaches (click the links for InfoWorld's reviews).
For pros only WSO2's Mashup Server is aimed at Web developers seeking a complete environment for building, deploying, and administering composite applications. It's clear that the WSO2 Mashup Server design team gave some thought to what such developers would need to create mashups, and for those with an...