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Among the Vanguard
FORTE FOR JAVA HAS A "GRAB BAG" APPROACH TO WEB SERVICES DEVELOPMENT
Forte for Java 3.0 isn't just another pretty integrated development environment (IDE). Sure it's got wizards and "fill in the blank" code help; but its real forte (pardon the pun) is providing a supportive and flexible environment that a true code jockey can love. It has also moved well beyond its origins in Java applets and applications into the enterprise world of J2EE and Web services.
The most recent versions of Forte for Java are amalgamations created by Sun Microsystems when it acquired both Forte and NetBeans in 1999. NetBeans brought to the party a respected open-source development framework that found its reputation in the Linux market. Forte brought more platforms and a desire to expand beyond the individual programmer into the realm of enterprise software development. The result is two versions of Forte: the Community Edition, which is free and open source (Sun Registered Library) and Enterprise Edition, which I evaluated for this review.
FORTE'S COMPANIONS
As an open-source kind of product, Forte for Java is committed to an ecumenical policy concerning many kinds of third-party plug-ins and products. This policy includes supporting a variety of application and Web servers through the J2EE Reference Implementation (JRI). However, there are favorite sons: iPlanet Application Server and Web Server. (IPlanet is a Sun/ Netscape consortium.) In the setup of the enterprise edition, Forte for Java kindly offers to recognize and give priority to these two products. This vendor maneuvering is quite natural: IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle also profess flexibility and openness, but there's no doubt about their intention to have users (or enterprises) stay within their family of products. In other words, it's worth noting that although adopting Forte doesn't necessarily mean slipping into Sun's orbit, you'll probably have a smoother ride if you don't fight the gravitational pull.
THE DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT
Getting up and running with Forte for Java is easy. It does require JDK 1.3.1 (so much for older versions of Java) and JRI 1.2.2. If you include a Web and application server in the development...