"Today IBM is extending flexibility for Apache Geronimo, not only for support service options, but for the choice of code being used," said Robert LeBlanc, general manager, WebSphere, IBM Software Group, as IBM yesterday announced support services for Apache Software Foundation (ASF) Geronimo open source application server software at LinuxWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco.

Called IBM Support for Apache Geronimo, the services offering provides two levels of support to help customers resolve technical issues as they develop, deploy and manage applications that run on Geronimo, LeBlanc explained. 

"The services can help accelerate mainstream adoption of Geronimo software by enabling corporate developers to choose Geronimo technology, knowing that it is backed by support from IBM," he continued. "Developers that want pure open source technology can choose Geronimo, and those that want an open source-based solution with value added features can opt for Gluecode. Now both are backed by support services from IBM."

IBM acquired Gluecode Software in May. Based on core open source technology from the Apache Geronimo application server, Gluecode software and related subscription support services provide a flexible and affordable infrastructure for organizations that need a reliable alternative to traditional commercial software offerings. Gluecode software can help Java developers, small and mid-sized businesses (SMB) and departmental users reduce the complexity of application development by pre-integrating the most common services for building mainstream Java applications. The latest edition of Gluecode software is available for download at www.gluecode.com.

 In addition to the new services, IBM today also announced that it has contributed some of its Gluecode software to the ASF Geronimo project. Called the Gluecode Management Console, the software provides a user interface that gives users a centralized location to manage, monitor, and configure components of the Geronimo server, making it easier to use. The console has been accepted by the Geronimo community. The contribution represents another step in IBM's commitment to actively participate in the Geronimo community.

"IBM is both offering new support services and contributing software code to our project; this will help us build the Geronimo community," said Greg Stein, Chairman of the Apache Software Foundation. "IBM is a good open source collaborator, and today's announcement simply adds to their contributions over the years."

IBM is a long-time supporter of the Apache Software Foundation, as well as many other open source projects. IBM's WebSphere software incorporates Apache's open source HTTP server. Last year, IBM contributed its Cloudscape data software to the Apache Derby project. Examples of other IBM collaboration with the open source community include its work relating to Eclipse application development tools technology and Linux.

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