Borland announces Web services strategy for Linux

Issued by Global Research Partners for Borland Software
Johannesburg, 25 Sep 2001

Borland Software Corporation, a leading provider of e-business platform solutions, today unveiled the company`s strategy to provide Web Services support for the Linux operating system.

As Linux continues to make in-roads as the fastest-growing operating system for servers (source: IDC), the benefits of Web Services and Apache Web server will help to accelerate the adoption of Linux as an e-business server. Increasingly, companies are looking to the promise of Web Services as a way to leverage the Internet to connect and integrate with their customers, suppliers, business partners and employees worldwide across diverse platforms and technologies.

"When Borland announced Kylix earlier this year, it filled a void in the application development environment area for Linux,`` said Bill Claybrook, Research Director, Linux and Open Source Software, Aberdeen Group. "We see Web Services doing a similar thing -- filling the needs of enterprises that want to expand Web capabilities via their Linux platforms.``

Known by Fortune 1000 customers as a supporter of open standards and provider of platform independent technologies, Borland is leading the way for businesses to leverage Web Services on their platform of choice. As the first company to provide a rapid application development (RAD) environment for building and deploying Web Services on Windows with Delphi 6, Borland now plans to provide a RAD solution for Web Services that will expand the Internet capabilities of Apache Web servers and applications for Linux using the Borland Kylix RAD development platform.

Borland RAD solutions for Web Services enable companies to easily create enterprise applications and simplify business-to-business integration of applications running on any platform with support for emerging industry standards: XML, SOAP and WSDL.

Gartner estimates that "80% of mission-critical systems are `isolated from the Net`` and that there is a "pressing need to represent existing systems on the Web". As companies face the challenge of using the Internet as a way to connect and integrate with their customers, suppliers, business partners and employees worldwide, they can now leverage Web Services to integrate applications within a company as well as connect with any application on any system.

"Extending business processes and systems to the Internet is a high-priority for corporate enterprises,`` said Simon Thornhill, vice president and general manager of the RAD business unit for Borland. "Borland is committed to the rapid development and deployment of Web Services for Linux, as well as other platforms, so our customers can reap the benefits offered by a connected enterprise.``

Following this year`s successful introduction of Kylix, the first native RAD environment for Linux, today`s announcement marks Borland`s continued leadership in providing innovative solutions for Linux that will help drive it into the mainstream.

"Linux is becoming increasingly important to the SA market, and its adoption as a stable and well performing product, yet still remaining cost-effective in a server environment, has been impressive. Borland Kylix already provides RAD development to the Linux market, and now through the Web services, Borland is extending this added-value through to our clients," added Manoli Rodokanakis, Country Manager of Borland Software Southern Africa.

Web Services

Web Services are business processes that can be discovered and run over the Internet using standard technologies. By using Web Services, companies can easily connect applications using standard XML formats over standard Internet protocols to virtually any client, including desktop applications, Web browsers, mobile devices and PDAs.

Similarly, Web Services easily interconnect applications from completely different hardware platforms, such as mainframes, application servers and Web servers; Web Services also support connections among disparate operating systems such as Windows, Java and Unix. Web Services enable developers to build e-business applications that can connect with any customer, supplier and business partner anywhere in the world-regardless of the chosen platform or programming language. For more information on how Borland is delivering Web Services, please visit the Borland Web site, http://www.borland.com/webservices.

Borland Kylix

Borland Kylix is a high-performance RAD environment for the Linux platform. Kylix is a component-based environment for two-way visual development of graphical user interface (GUI), Internet, database and server applications. Kylix is powered by a new high-speed native Delphi compiler for Linux and implements a native Linux and cross-platform version of the Borland Visual Component Library (VCL) architecture called CLX. CLX is designed to radically speed native Linux application development and simplify the porting of Delphi applications between Windows and Linux operating systems. For more information about Kylix, please visit the Borland Web site, www.borland.com/kylix.

Borland Delphi 6

Borland Delphi 6 is the first RAD environment for Windows to support new and emerging Web Services. With Delphi 6, corporate or individual developers can create next generation e-business applications quickly and easily. Major features include BizSnap, WebSnap and DataSnap that enable developers to create applications that simplify business-to-business integration with full support for XML, SOAP, XSL and WSDL. Delphi 6 support for industry standard Web Services enables immediate and ongoing integration with emerging Web Services based vendor platforms such as .Net and BizTalk from Microsoft, and ONE from Sun Microsystems. For more information about Delphi 6, please visit the Borland Web site, http://www.borland.com/delphi.

For further information, please contact Borland Southern Africa on tel (011) 622 1635, or fax (011) 622 1534, or visit the local or international Web-sites www.borland.co.za or www.borland.com

Borland Software Corporation

Borland is a leading provider of high performance e-business implementation platforms designed to increase developer productivity and reduce time to market for enterprise software projects. E-business implementation platforms consist of software products that allow businesses to develop, deploy and manage e-business applications. Borland is the vendor of choice for professional e-business solution providers who demand a vendor-independent implementation platform that supports rapid time to market, high productivity, performance and availability. Founded in 1983, Borland is headquartered in Scotts Valley, California, with operations worldwide.

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